


Every Breath You Take

by NerdyPinupCrystal



Category: Daredevil (TV), Sleeping With The Enemy - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:37:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18196088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyPinupCrystal/pseuds/NerdyPinupCrystal
Summary: Iris has moved to Hell's kitchen with only a backpack and a past she struggles to leave behind. Will a budding romance with  the kind and enigmatic lawyer next door help her move on?  Or will the monster from her past find her and destroy them both?Warning: This story contains adult content including descriptions of spousal abuse and violence.  If this content bothers you, please refrain from reading.





	1. A New Start

**Chapter 1: A New Start**

 

As my new landlord walked out of my apartment after handing me the keys, I took what felt like the first real breath I’ve had in a long time. I took a moment to truly observe the surroundings of my new apartment. It’s surprisingly very spacious for the cheap rent I have to pay. Already furnished too. One less thing to worry about. I didn’t even mind the mismatched second hand furniture. In fact, I found it appealing and refreshing after years of everything having to be in perfect, precise order. 

 

_ He _ would hate this place. 

 

**_No, Li-_ ** **Iris** **_. Don’t think about him. You’re thousands of miles away from him now. He has no idea. He can’t control you anymore. He’ll never find you here, you’re safe._ **

 

I pushed the nagging thoughts aside as I explore my apartment. I can see the sun beginning to set, the lights from the billboard across the street becoming more prominent, no wonder the apartment is so cheap. I turned towards the doorway on my left leading to what I assume to be the bedroom. 

 

Sure enough, in the center of the room lied a queen sized bed with a mattress that was passable, but had definitely seen better days. No sheets or bedspread. I didn’t have to look in the bathroom behind me to know that there were no towels. 

 

**_Looks like I’ll have to go shopping._ **

 

The sudden rumbling of my stomach reminded me that I would need to get more than just linens on my shopping trip. Guess I can’t put it off till tomorrow like I was planning on doing after all.

 

I entered the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror for the first time since I arrived in the city. The dark circles under my eyes were clear as day showing the exhaustion from the three day bus ride among other things. My blue eyes showing more years than my actual age, yet the dull lifelessness behind them is slowly but surely starting to fade away into the light glow they used to possess. The bruise at my temple and the cut on my bottom lip were still visible on my fair skin, but will soon fade away just like the others. Last thing I looked over was my hair that now sat above my shoulders. I’ve never had it this short before. I’m amazed at how straight I had managed to cut it considering how much of a rush I was in.  **_I need to get some hair dye while I’m out_ ** , I thought to myself as I looked at my blonde locks. Can never be too careful. 

 

With my mental shopping list in place, I walked out of the bathroom and made my way through the living room to grab the keys and backpack I had set on the counter. I took one more look at my new home and walked out the door. 

 

It’s a foreign feeling to call this strange new place my home now. Yet at the same time, it feels right. It’s the first thing to truly call my own. The house I had lived in before was anything but  _ Home _ . It was nothing but a gilded Cage; my own personal hell that I stayed trapped in long enough. My prison that I escaped. 

 

I was too lost in my thoughts to pay attention to my surroundings, that I was too late to stop from bumping into what felt like a wall of pure muscle. I stumbled backing away from the stranger, nearly tripping over my own feet. 

 

“Oh, excuse me,” I started to say, only to stop dead in my tracks when I finally looked at the dark haired man wearing a grey suit, his back facing me as he’s leaning down to pick up a white cane- oh fuck my life, he’s  _ blind _ !

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed as I rushed to pick up his cane for him. “I’m so so sorry, sir, that was all my fault! I wasn’t watching where I was going. I didn’t mean to steamroll into you and make you drop your cane, oh God I’m so going to Hell.” I rambled like an idiot as I handed him his cane back. 

 

The sound of his laughter stopped me from embarrassing myself even further with my rambling. I took a moment to finally see his face and my breath stuck in my throat. 

 

To say he was gorgeous would be the understatement of the century. His height towered over my 5’2 frame, his dark hair looked so soft, my fingers tingled with the need to touch it. His eyes were covered by the dark red lenses of his sunglasses, I was curious to see what color they were. The most breathtaking thing of all was his smile that seemed to light up his entire face, causing my heart to practically beat out of my chest. 

 

I quickly snapped out of my trance to listen to the words coming from his perfect full red lips, “It’s perfectly alright, miss. I managed to survive unscathed.” He joked. Oh God, his deep voice was rich and smooth like caramel.  **_Focus, damn it!_ **

 

“Well, all the same, I’m sorry. My brain was miles away.” I replied in a nervous giggle. “Won’t happen again, I promise.”

 

“I’ll have to have that in writing then. Knocking down a blind man is a very serious offense, and documented evidence holds up well in court.” He stated with a dry tone and a smirk on his perfect face. 

 

I had no idea how the hell to respond to that. I’m so embarrassed and on edge, I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. 

 

He showed mercy upon me after I was rendered speechless for too long. “I’m kidding,” he chuckled, “Sorry, my blind lawyer jokes tend to catch people off guard.” 

 

I let out a sigh of relief and allowed myself to laugh at the situation. 

 

“A lawyer, huh? I guess I better stay on your good side or you  _ will _ sue me.” I replied jokingly. 

 

He was quick to respond, “Actually for safety reasons, you should probably stay on your side to avoid a lawsuit.” 

 

Oh this guy was cheeky, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, duly noted.”

 

“You just moved in, right?” He asked me with interest.

 

“Yup, near the end of the hall.” I gestured behind me. 

 

He nodded in approval, “I guess that makes us neighbors then,” he held his hand out towards me, “Matt Murdock, I live next door to you.”

 

I reached out to his waiting hand, my pulse racing as his hand grasped mine in a firm yet gentle handshake. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Murdock,”

 

“Please, call me Matt. ‘Mr. Murdock’ makes me feel old.” He smiled. 

 

“Nice to meet you,  _ Matt _ .” I replied. 

 

“And do I get to know the name of my would-be assailant?” He asked in jest. 

 

I let out a chuckles reply, “I guess so. My name’s Li-“

 

**_No, you idiot!_ **

 

I cleared my throat as my heart practically jumped in it. Matt tilted his head in either concern or suspicion, I couldn’t tell which. 

 

“ _ Iris _ . My name’s Iris.”

 

Matt looked skeptical as he nodded and smiled, “Nice to meet you, Iris.”

 

The slip up sobered me up instantly. Reminding me of my situation. Matt has me at ease so quickly and easily, I had let my guard down too much. I was too comfortable around this guy, and that’ll make me too sloppy! What if I slip up again? I could accidentally give away some things that are meant to stay buried. 

 

My palms were sweating, my heart racing for a whole other reason. I had to abort this conversation now. 

 

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Matt. It was very nice to meet you, sorry again for bumping into you. Have a good night, gotta go, byeeee!” I spat out as I speed walked to the stairwell, not giving him a chance to speak. 

 

**_Goddamnit. That could’ve gone better._ ** How could I be so careless? I need to be on my guard at all times and not draw too much attention to myself, it’s not safe enough to be this comfortable yet! 

 

**_Stay focused Iris. You can’t lose your head over the first guy you meet just because he’s attractive and seems nice. You’ve put yourself through that before and look where it got you. Be smart._ **

 

With that mindset back in place, I exited the apartment building to take care of my shopping, hoping to keep Matt Murdock off my mind.

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	2. A New Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris gets settled into her new home and makes some changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m back with chapter 2! I’ve been obsessing over this story and I couldn’t wait any longer to update. Thank you so much to those happy few that have read and liked the first chapter, I hope you continue to enjoy it. Please be sure to leave some feedback! Also if anyone knows how to attach images to a chapter, I would greatly appreciate helpful tips on how to do that. I'm new to this and I have awesome banners and gifs to go with this story! Anywho, enough of my rambling, onward to Chapter 2!!!

##  **Chapter 2: A New Me**

The walk to the nearest grocery store was thankfully not as long as I anticipated, since there was a Walgreens a few blocks down. Not exactly ideal for grocery shopping, but at least they carried some kind of food at all, plus I was able to get some hair dye, plus essentials for the bathroom and kitchen that the store carried, saved me an extra trip. There was a small linen store not too far from there where I was able to get a cheap comforter set, a couple of pillows and a set of towels. Thank god I brought my backpack, otherwise I’d have a hell of a time carrying all this stuff. Not wanting to add to my load, I decided to make my way home.

It was already dark by the time I reached the familiar apartment building. I’ve heard Hell’s Kitchen can be pretty dangerous at night, but I guess the same can be said for New York in general. Either way, I had no intention of staying out longer than I needed to.  I’ve managed to escape one Hell, no way do I want to push my luck in a city that literally has the word “Hell” in its name.

As I crossed the street to the building’s entrance, I couldn’t help but have the nagging feeling that I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up, my breath stuck in my throat as I checked my surroundings. Aside from a few people walking by, there was no sign of anyone that looked suspicious as far as I knew. Then suddenly I heard a noise above my head. I quickly turned and looked up towards the roof of my apartment building. It was hard to tell for sure, but I could’ve sworn I saw a dark figure move from the roof. I blinked for a second, and it was gone.  

**_Pull yourself together, girl. You’re just being paranoid. It’s all in your head. Your brain is just hanging on to those old ghosts you’ve left behind. It’s not him, he couldn’t possibly know you were here. You’re free from him. You’re safe.  
_ **

My pep talk (that I didn’t realize I had said out loud) snapped me out of my paranoia…a little anyway, and I made my way inside the building.

As I walked down the hall, I slowed to a stop, thinking about my literal run-in with my new neighbor. I feel like such a jackass for how I acted earlier. I can’t imagine what he thinks of me.

I was tempted to knock on his door to apologize for my weird and rude behavior.  But I didn’t.  Perhaps it’s for the best. If my behavior put him off, then that means he’ll stay away. It would be a terrible idea for me to get close to this guy, or anyone for that matter. It doesn’t feel safe enough for me to get that comfortable and I have no right dragging anybody else into my problems. If my experience has taught me anything, it’s that I only have myself, I can only  _trust_  myself. I’m better off alone.

With that mindset in place, I made my way into my apartment and locked the door.  I set my stuff down, grabbed the boxed dye and started the process of changing my hair.

As the dye was processing, I put away my groceries and heated up my frozen dinner.  I practically inhaled my dinner in no time, I didn’t realize how hungry I was; so I grabbed my new linens and headed for the bedroom.

By the time I had made my bed and hung the towels up in the bathroom, it was time to hop in the shower and rinse the dye.  It was the first shower I’d had in days; it was such a refreshing feeling, and the water was so soothing on the aches and bruises of my body, I didn’t shut it off until the hot water ran cold.

As I towel dried my hair that was first light blonde, now a vibrant shade of red, I looked over where my new hand towels were hanging.

They weren’t hanging evenly.

My first instinct was to quickly adjust the towels so they were hanging at perfectly even length.  As I laid a hand on one of the towels, my mind went back to an earlier time…

* * *

_I was sitting on our patio overlooking the beach in the early morning when I heard footsteps approaching behind me. I turned to look up at the familiar cold blue eyes staring into mine as his tall intimidating frame towered over me, casting a looming shadow._  
  
“Come with me.” He calmly requested as he held out his hand that easily dwarfed mine, leaving me no other option but to take it.   
  
He guided me through the house, the silence deafening.   
  
“Isn’t it a little early for this?” I asked in a nervous giggle, assuming he was leading me to the bedroom.   
  
Instead of the bedroom, however, our journey stopped in our bathroom. He let go of my hand as he stepped further into the bathroom, his back stiff straight facing me with his hands crossed, looking militant like a drill Sergeant.    
  
“Is everything as it should be in here?” He asked expectantly, giving me a quick second to realize my mistake.   
  
“I don’t know why I forgot.” I replied, my heart racing in panic as I rushed to adjust the hand towels on the rack so they can hang evenly as they’re supposed to.   
  
He was still tense as he looked at me through the reflection in the mirror. “That’s alright, Princess,” he responded with a tight smile, “That’s why we have to remind ourselves every day.”  
  
“Thank you.” I replied softly as I stood obediently with my eyes towards the floor, waiting for further instructions from him. He spared me a glance and nodded, implying I was dismissed. I exited the bathroom, thankful that my mistake didn’t make him too angry this time.   


* * *

I snapped out of my memory and took a deep breath.   
  
 ** _He’s not here. It’s okay. You’re safe._**  
  
With that moment of clarity, I reached for the towels and shuffled them around until they were completely unkempt. They were messy, lopsided, and twisted up, and it felt so satisfying!  I let out a giggle as I looked at my work.  It wasn’t until that moment that it really began to sink in.   
  
I was  _free_.   
  
I could feel the weight lifting off my shoulders from this revelation.  I felt like I could really breathe again. I checked myself in the mirror again to observe my new look. I actually loved the red. I thought I would miss my long blonde hair, and I suppose part of me will, but my new hair has immediately become my new favorite look. Cutting it had already relieved part of the heavy burden weighing down on me, changing color relieved it even more.  The expression “New hair, new me” couldn’t be any more true.   
  
After double and triple checking the locks on my door, I fell asleep in my new bed feeling better than I’ve felt in a long time.  Outside in the city may be still hard for me, but in my own little world of solitude, in my new  home, I was safe.   
  
I fell into a deep, blissful sleep; unaware of a familiar dark shadow on the roof of the building next door, facing my window as he kept a curious and protective watch over me. 

* * *

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	3. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris bumps into a familiar face, meets some new ones, and gets an interesting offer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m back with Chapter 3!!! Thank you so much to my lovely followers for enjoying this story, I know I keep saying this, but it just makes me so happy that this story I’m super excited about has others excited as well! And boy have I got a long chapter for you guys! I could not stop writing, the juices were just flowing! Quite a bit happens in this chapter, it’s gonna be a bit dark in the beginning. Which is why I’m officially attaching a warning from here on out, there are going to be themes of violent nature throughout the story, whether it’s vague references to past occurrences or vivid flashbacks,this is my warning. If anyone is bothered by the content, please skip the section or refrain from reading any further. I don’t want any hate for not issuing this warning, so thank you for your cooperation. Now onward to Chapter 3!!!

**Chapter 3: A New Day**  
  
I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new day.    
  
I sat up to stretch and I could feel the familiar pain of the angry bruises that painted my body.  The pain was starting to dull down bit by bit each day; it should be reduced to an uncomfortable but far less painful feeling in a couple more days or so.  The bruises he inflicted always lingered longer.   
  
I looked at my body in the mirror as I was getting dressed for the day. The bruise that covered most of my stomach was the worst of the ones I currently had. The shade still an angry purple, had shown no signs of fading yet. He had kicked me harder than I thought, I could still feel the impact of his foot slamming into my stomach all three times. That one will definitely take at least another week to heal.   
  
I turned to look at the rest of my body; the bruises on my back and right shoulder still visible, but thankfully fading away. The bruise at my left temple had faded slightly more since yesterday, my hair could easily hide it. The angry cut on my lip, however still felt fresh despite it being four days old now; that one I can’t hide easily.  Makeup wouldn’t be enough to cover it, I’ll just have to hope people don’t care enough to notice or at least not ask about it.   
  
 ** _You’re okay, Iris. These wounds will fade away like they always do. He’ll never lay a hand on you again. Soon those bruises and the monster that inflicted them will be nothing but a bad dream. You survived. You’re safe._**  
  
I quickly got dressed to cover up the ugly marks on my body, and continued getting ready for the day.  
  
I looked through my backpack for the stack of money I kept hidden. I still had over $3,000 left, which would keep me comfortable for only a while, but it wasn’t going to last forever.    
  
I was going to have to look for a job.   
  
The thought of it made me anxious.  Anxious that the fake identification papers I had to sneak off to get (and got severely punished as a result) wouldn’t work.  Anxious that not having a resume would ruin any chances of getting a job. Anxious that people would see through the lie. Anxious that  _he_  would somehow be in my place of work and see me.   
  
I was stressing myself out over these “what if’s”. I took a deep breath, and decided to push the job hunt for a later time and go shopping for food at a real grocery store instead.  I also needed a phone, and some more essentials for home. But first, find the nearest coffee shop for some breakfast.  With that plan in place, I grabbed my backpack to head out the door.   
  
I found a little coffee shop close by where I was able to get a large chai latte and two blueberry muffins. I had already inhaled the first muffin by the time I got to the door, I was so damn hungry.   
  
When I was about to open the door to exit, someone was opening it to get in. I had stopped just in time to avoid crashing into the person entering the coffee shop.   
  
“Excuse me,” I said as I held the door open for the person as I kept my eyes on my drink to make sure it would avoid being spilled.   
  
I looked up when I heard a familiar voice chuckle, “I’m glad you managed to avoid a second assault this time, neighbor.”  
  
I couldn’t help but laugh at how funny fate worked. “Mr. Murdock! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get in my way on purpose.” I teased as I opened the door wider to allow him in.   
  
“Well business has been slow, so I try to grab potential cases wherever I can get them. And I’m pretty sure I told you to call me Matt, Iris.”  He replied with a teasing smile that lit up his beautiful face.   
  
 ** _Down, girl. Don’t let him get you all flustered again, no matter how sexy he looks in that grey suit of his._**  
  
“What’s this I’m hearing about cases, don’t you be holding out on me, Matthew!” A new male voice chimed in, interrupting my thoughts, causing me to tense up.   
  
Matt let out a laugh as he turned toward the voice in question. “Sorry, Foggy. Just an inside joke between neighbors.”   
  
The blonde gentleman the voice belonged to frowned as he stood next to Matt. “Well now I feel left out of the loop. How dare you give me false hope?” He dramatically shook his fist at Matt.   
  
Matt and I let out a laugh, his friend instantly making me feel at ease.  Matt turned toward me  to make the introductions, “Foggy, this lovely lady is my next door neighbor Iris….” he trailed off, not knowing my last name.   
  
“Roberts.” I replied, thankful I actually remembered the new last name I had.   
  
“Iris Roberts.” Matt finished, with a hint of skepticism in his voice. He turned toward Foggy, “And this is-“  
  
“Foggy Nelson, of Nelson & Murdock,” Foggy cut in, making a silly attempt at being suave as he reached for my hand, “Law partner and much better looking  best friend to this putz here.” He gestured his thumb toward Matt, who was practically rolling his eyes at his best friend.   
  
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Iris.” He finished with a brief kiss on my hand and a sweet smile on his slightly rounder face.   
  
I let out a giggle at his silliness. Foggy was as endearing as a teddy bear, I couldn’t help but like him already.  “And it’s most certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Foggy.” I curtsied, joining in on his silliness as well.   
  
Foggy chuckled and turned to Matt, “She just did a little curtsy. It was adorable.”   
  
Matt smiles towards me, “I bet it was.” It felt as if his eyes were piercing through me, even though he couldn’t see. I couldn’t control the blush coloring my cheeks.   
  
Foggy looked toward me again only for his smile to fall into a frown as he focused on my face, “Oh wow, are you okay?” He asked with concern.   
  
I frowned in confusion, “What do you mean?”  
  
He shook his head as he softly replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or to pry, but that’s a pretty nasty cut on your lip.”  
  
My heart stopped. My face changed from a flushed red to pale white. How could I have thought that nobody would notice?  
  
 ** _Because Matt and Foggy are the first real decent people you’ve met, and are apparently the kind of people who are going to ask questions.  
_**  
My heart was beating so fast, I could hear the rhythm in my ears, and I thought the entire coffee shop could too. Matt’s face tightened into a puzzled frown as he turned towards me.   
  
“Uh..well I…I…” I was stuttering. I was panicking, I had to leave. “It’s nothing! I’m just a clumsy clod. Matt can testify to that,” I gestured to Matt who looked concerned and almost angry. Whether at me or something else, I had no idea.   
  
“Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a lot to do today,” I said in a rush as I was inching closer and closer towards the door. Both gentlemen looking at me in bewilderment. “It was nice seeing you, Matt. Foggy, it was great to meet you. Bye!” I bolted out the door without so much as a backwards glance. 

* * *

  
_Matt and Foggy_

The two friends were frowning as Iris all but ran away from the coffee shop.   
  
Foggy cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to spook her like that. It just shocked me, I guess.”  
  
Matt’s teeth clenched, his jaw tight with tension and aggravation as he asked, “How bad was it?”  
  
“How bad was…” Foggy trailed off.   
  
“The  _cut_ , Foggy,” Matt spat out, his jaw clenching even tighter as he held a firm grip on his cane, “How bad was it?”  
  
Foggy sighed, “Pretty fucking bad, Matt.  Like she fell into someone’s  _fist_  instead of a piece of furniture.”   
  
Matt’s grip on his cane tightened even further as he tried to control is growing anger. He could sense Foggy hesitating. “What is it, Foggy?”  
  
His friend paused for a moment before replying, “I don’t know for sure, but it looked like she had a bruise on the temple of her left eye as well.”  
  
 _Snap!_  
  
Matt snapped out of his thoughts as he held the loose piece of his now broken cane.   
  
“Oh shit, Matt!” Foggy exclaimed as he looked at his friend with concern and unease.   
  
“I have more at home.” Matt stated, though he couldn’t care less about the cane.   
  
Foggy left Matt alone with his thoughts as he went to place their order. He returned with two coffees.   
  
“Do you think she’s in trouble?” Foggy asked, feeling concern for the petite redhead that’s captured his best friend’s attention.   
  
“I think so.  I don’t know for sure what’s going on with her,” Matt replied as he stood still, “staring” at the spot Iris stood at. “But I’m going to find out. And if she is, then whoever’s giving her trouble is going to have to answer to  _me_.”

* * *

_Back to Iris_

**_Goddamn you suck at this! Stop folding under pressure like origami every time you get caught off guard!_**  
  
I felt so stupid for slipping up again; in front of Matt and his friend no less!  I didn’t understand why I lost my composure in front of Matt so easily. I guess because it felt like he could see right through me despite having no sight. I felt so at ease and comfortable around him, I didn’t want to lie to him. I didn’t want him to know the truth either though.  I just needed to stop engaging in conversations with him.   ** _Easier said than done, apparently._**  
  
But I didn’t have time to dwell on that any further. I needed to look for a job. I hadn’t worked in years, I couldn’t help but worry that my lack of work experience would really hinder me….  
  
My lack of experience wasn’t the only thing that hindered me.  It was also “we’re not hiring at this time”, “we’ve already accepted another candidate”, and also the fact that some establishments were too overwhelming for me to even try to apply.  Waitressing was definitely a no. Customers can be absolutely horrible and downright abusive to the servers, and my skin just wasn’t thick enough for that; not after just escaping from my own abusive setting.   
  
It was mid-afternoon when I stumbled upon a cute little bakery with a pastel pink exterior on the corner just a couple streets away from my apartment. I was exhausted and frustrated from the disappointing job hunt, eating my feelings sounded really therapeutic right then and there.  
  
I heard a bell chime as I opened the door to the bakery, followed by the catchy melody of Bobby Darin’s “Beyond the Sea”. It was even cuter on the inside! It was tiny and intimate with a pink and teal color scheme and a sweet vintage vibe. Beautiful assortments of cupcakes, pastries, donuts, and French macarons were displayed under the glass casing.  My mouth was watering and my stomach was rumbling just looking at them.   
  
A sweet woman’s voice snapped me out of my hunger stupor, “Hi! Welcome to Sweet Heaven. How may I help you?”  
  
I gazed at the tall, beautiful brunette the voice belonged to. She was statuesque with a slender but curvy frame in a  baby pink dress with a white frilly apron. She had long dark hair hanging in loose vintage waves, kind grey eyes, and a sweet smile painted in pink lipstick.    
  
“Hi, this is my first time here” I replied with a tired smile, “Your bakery is so cute and everything looks delicious! What would you recommend to someone who’s had a rough day and just wants to eat their feelings?”  
  
The woman giggled in reply, “Well first of all, thank you! It took a lot of work to make my baby look the way I imagined.” She winked. “Second, I would recommend the red velvet macaron, the white chocolate raspberry truffle cupcake, the sea salt caramel cronut, and/or the bacon maple cupcake.”  
  
 ** _Good God I’m going to get so fat.  
_**  
My mouth watered with each item she mentioned, “You know what? I’ll take all four of those. And a large hot chocolate, please. I’m going to be here for a while.”  
  
I paid for my treats and took a seat at one of the three small tables off to the side. I gazed out the window, lost in my thoughts as I waited for my cocoa.  It didn’t take long for the kind baker to approach my table carrying a silver tray topped with the desserts and hot cocoa, beautifully set up like it was Afternoon Tea.  I noticed the tray had a second helping of each item including the cocoa.   
  
“Here you go, sweetie.” The sweet woman stated as she took a seat across from me. “Do you mind if I join you?  It’s a slow day today and you got me craving for these myself.” She let out a giggle.   
  
I grinned, “Thank you, I’d love the company.”  
  
Her smile brightened, “Wonderful! I’m Lucy, proud owner of this little paradise.” She introduced herself, holding out her hand.   
  
I grasped her hand in mine as I replied, “I’m Iris. It’s so lovely to meet you. You have a beautiful bakery!”   
  
Lucy’s face glowed with pride, “Thank you so much! It took a long time, and a lot of blood, sweat, and makeup-ruining tears to get this baby off the ground, but it was all worth it.”   
  
I smiled softly, feeling insecure. Oh how I envied this woman and her ambition. I wished I accomplished something this big.   
  
She must have noticed my discouraged thoughts as she gently asked, “I don’t mean to pry, but are you okay?  You mentioned wanting to eat your feelings, so I’m guessing you’re having a pretty bad day.”  
  
The last I wanted was to burden anyone with my problems, hence the sorry attempt at isolation, plus it’s been a long time since I was allowed to talk to anyone. But this woman seemed so genuinely sweet, and I could really use a friend.   
  
“Yeah,” I sighed, “it’s been a pretty terrible day.”  
  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lucy asked with sympathy,  “I’m a very good listener.”  
  
I smiled as I replied, “Well I just moved here. I’m trying to start over, but I need a job. I’ve gone to so many different jobs to apply and have been rejected by all of them.  I thought of waitressing, but I can’t handle the overwhelming craziness that comes with the job. I have hardly  _any_  job experience, practically  _nonexistent,_ and I just feel like I’ll fall into another black hole after I  _just_  crawled out of one!” I finished without taking a breath, breaking down in frustration.   
  
It was silent in the tiny bakery and I started to panic.   ** _Damn it, I’ve said too much._**  I thought for sure Lucy was going to ask me to leave.   
  
She surprised me with her response though, “Do you have any food allergies?”  
  
My eyebrows furrowed from being thrown off by the random question. “I’m allergic to cranberry juice, but that’s it….”   
  
Lucy nodded in understanding, “Have you ever baked from scratch before?”   
  
My eyes widened as I started to get what was happening. “Yeah, all the time. Not professionally, though. I mean I’m decent, but I don’t have a culinary degree or anything like that.”  
  
She just smiled, “That’s not a problem at all.” Lucy reassured me as she gently grabbed onto my hand, “Iris, my dear, your timing couldn’t be more perfect!  My boyfriend was working the bakery with me, but he’s now my  _ex_ -boyfriend. So it’s just me operating this place all by myself. I am in serious need of a co-Captain for this ship.  What do you say?”  
  
I was stunned. This was honestly the most unconventional and unexpected job offer I’d ever had. “Lucy, are you sure you want to hire me?  I don’t know the first thing about working in a bakery. I don’t think I’m qualified.” I replied, not wanting to turn down the offer, but just being as honest as I could.   
  
Lucy wasn’t the least bothered. “Don’t you worry about that. We’ll set you up to get your food handlers card to please the health inspector on their occasional visits, I’ll take you on as my baking apprentice and train you every step of the way. Please say yes.” She held her hands together in a silent prayer waiting for my answer.   
  
This felt so unreal. These kind of things never usually happened. It seemed too good to be true. But all I felt from Lucy was genuine kindness and trust. I didn’t feel an inch of doubt towards her. She was a sweet, unconventional business woman who was giving me a chance when I had none. Who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?  
  
“How could I refuse such an amazing offer?” I asked with a glowing smile on my face. “I’m in!”  
  
Lucy squealed with excitement as she shuffled over to my side to hug me. “This is going to be great! I have a good feeling about you, and I’m usually a pretty good judge of character, ex-boyfriend being the one exception.”   
  
I giggled with her on that, knowing all too well about being wrong about an ex.    
  
“Now,” she continued, “let’s enjoy our sweets in celebration and get to know each other, shall we?”  
  
“I’ll drink to that!” I happily replied as I held up my now warm cocoa, causing Lucy to hold hers up as well.   
  
“Iris, my dear, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.” Lucy declared with excitement.   
  
“I couldn’t agree more, Lucy, my dear.” I replied with a grin. “To a new start!”  
  
“To a new start!” Lucy responded as we clanged our mugs together.   
  
I felt like I was walking on sunshine.  Things were truly looking up.   
  


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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a roller coaster, but it ended on a happy note! I’m gonna have fun writing Lucy, Iris deserves a wonderful gal pal! For Lucy, the only lovely lady that came to mind was the beautiful Christine McConnell. Thanks so much for reading! Until next time! *kiss noise*


	4. Modern Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris makes more changes and bumps into a familiar face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaack! Thank you so much to those that are loving and following this story, I love you all!!! Be prepared for fluffiness and lots of interaction between a certain couple ;) To set the mood for this chapter, I recommend you listen to David Bowie's Modern Love while reading. Enjoy!!!

**Chapter 4: Modern Love**

After spending the next couple of hours chatting and setting up my new employment, I remembered I needed to do some real grocery shopping.  The bakery started getting a bit busy, so after a quick hug and exchange of phone numbers, I walked out of  _ Sweet Heaven  _ feeling accomplished and excited to start my new job the next morning. 

 

Oh how I wish I could call Mom right now and tell her the good news. God I’ve missed her so much. I felt horrible for not going to visit her as soon as I came to the city. But it wasn’t safe enough yet. I couldn’t risk going and being recognized. What if  _ he  _ found out somehow and something ended up happening to her?

 

**_It’s not safe_ ** **yet,** **_but it will be. Just have to lay low a little longer, then you and Mom will be okay._ **

 

Setting those thoughts aside before I could lose myself to them, I set out for the nearest grocery store. 

* * *

  
  


The sun was setting as I walked out of the store carry a few bags of groceries. As I walked down the sidewalk to head home, I spotted a little antique store to my left.  **_A few things to give the apartment a little personality wouldn’t hurt._ **  With that being reason enough for me, I turned towards the shop and welcomed myself in. 

 

The store was small, cluttered, and it smelled as old as the antiques and knickknacks it was carrying. I might become a regular here. 

 

The house I lived in before was like a museum. All glass and marble,very cold and beautiful, and I wasn’t allowed to touch anything without  _ his _ permission. I  _ hated  _ that house. It was the “best house on the beach” and I fucking  _ hated  _ it. So now that I was out of there, I became determined to make my home everything that house wasn’t. Everything  _ he  _ looked down his nose at, I wanted to make the center of attention. 

 

I found some books that were still in good condition;  _ Interview with the Vampire, Frankenstein, The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, The Complete Tales And Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.  _ That collection of gothic literature was  _ definitely  _ going home with me. I suddenly remembered the groceries in my hands and realized I couldn’t get much today, but I would definitely be going back tomorrow. 

 

As I was walking towards the register to pay, something out the corner of my eye caught my attention. To my right was a table with an array of CDs of different artists ranging from David Bowie to Wanda Jackson. And among this vast collection of music sat a small stereo for sale. It was a combination cassette/CD player that looked to be in decent condition. 

 

It didn’t hit me until now just how much I’ve missed listening to music I loved.  _ He  _ always hated my “juvenile” taste in music, so he made me get rid of all of my albums. He only liked classical music, especially that one horrible symphony he insisted on playing constantly, and has always given me the chills. 

 

**_Well he’s not here now. And you don’t have to ever hear that terrible music ever again. You know you want your music back. Take it!_ **

 

Without a second thought, I reached for the stereo and grabbed as many CDs as I could carry; thanking God once again for remembering to take my backpack with me today.  After I paid, I stuffed my new treasures in my backpack, carrying the stereo by the handle along with my groceries, and headed towards home. 

* * *

 

As I was getting closer to the apartment building, I felt a shiver down my spine. I was being watched again. I tensed up as I stopped and looked all around me, again not seeing anyone suspicious. I looked up at the roof, only this time it truly  _ was  _ empty up there with not a soul in sight. 

 

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and turned to get to the entrance.  I turned too quickly though, and crashed into a wall of muscle. 

 

“Oh shit!” I yelped as I blindly tripped over our feet and my ass was about to get acquainted with the ground. 

 

At least that  _ would’ve _ been the case, if the wall of muscle in question hadn’t have caught me faster than I could blink, just a foot away from hitting the pavement.  I looked up at my savior, only to have my jaw drop at seeing the familiar red sunglasses and heart-stopping smile of Matt Murdock. 

 

“Ms. Roberts, I thought we were supposed to worry about  _ me  _ suing  _ you,  _ not the other way around.” He said with a smile but with a concerned tone in his voice. 

 

**_God, why are you testing me when it comes to this criminally gorgeous man?_ **

 

I let out a nervous giggle. “Well, Mr. Murdock, if you would just wear a bell around your neck once in a while, maybe I’d hear you and not bump into you every single time we meet.”

 

He let out a chuckle, sending exciting shivers through my body, giving me goosebumps. “You know, you’re not the first one to suggest I wear a bell around my neck. Maybe I should consider it.” 

 

“Well I’ll be on the lookout for a nice red bell to match your glasses.” I replied, causing him to let out a full laugh, making the shivers running through me even more intense. 

 

“If you get one, I might  _ actually  _ wear it…” he trailed off in thought. “Some day.”

 

I rolled my eyes and giggled, “People  _ always  _ say “some day” when they actually mean “no chance in Hell”. That kind of defeats the purpose of getting the bell.” I raised my eyebrow at him expectantly as I continued, “You want to try that again, Mr. Murdock?”

 

Matt looked deep in thought before he leaned in closer, his warm breath making my face heat up like a furnace and my heart racing at ludicrous speed. 

 

He replied with a sly smirk. “Some day.”

 

“Oh!” I let out an exaggerated gasp like I was insulted and lightly smacked his shoulder with the hand that was holding the small stereo, causing him to laugh once more.  ****

 

**_God, he has a beautiful laugh.  Oh damn it, snap out of it!_ **

 

I snapped out of my thoughts and took a second to realize we never moved from our spot. He was still holding me in his arms a foot away from the ground.  He held me in what could be a very romantic dip as if we were dancing. My heart raced even faster at the images dancing in my head. I felt his grip tighten around me. 

 

I cleared my throat to break the suddenly intimate moment. “We should probably move out of the way.”

 

I felt his fingers tighten slightly at my back before clearing his throat as well to reply, “Yeah, sorry, you’re probably right. We should head inside.” 

 

With that, he stood up from his lunge that he held in position for who knows how many minutes (I refused to think about how strong and muscular his thighs must be) and helped me up along. My body lost the warmth it felt while being held in his muscular arms. I felt  _ safe  _ in those arms. 

 

I shook myself out of my daydreaming when I saw two of my grocery bags were on the ground.

 

Matt must’ve sensed my movement towards the bags.  “Oh Iris, I’m sorry! Here, let me help you.” He said as he crouched down to reach for the bags. 

 

“Oh no, Matt, it’s okay.” I tried to grab the bags first. “I’ve got this.”

 

But Matt was quicker as he got a hold on the bags before I could touch a strap. “No, please, Iris. I insist. It’s the least I can do after I knocked you off your feet.” He said with an apologetic, but still beautiful smile. 

 

**_More like_ ** **swept** **_me off my feet, you mean._ **

 

“Well okay, when you put it like  _ that. _ ” Was all I could say without blurting out my inner thoughts.  

 

“Shall we?” He asked as he held out his arm for me to take, the chivalrous gentleman that he is. 

 

**_Damn it, Matt! You’re making it harder trying to keep my distance. And making it too damn easy to fall for you, and I barely even know you!_ **

 

I shook off my inner thoughts and chuckled at the chivalrous gesture as I accepted his arm. “Why yes, we shall. Lead the way, Mr. Murdock.”

 

“I believe I asked you to call me Matt, Iris,” Matt said with a smirk as we started walking towards the entrance. “And besides, it’s probably not safe for  _ me  _ to do the leading. Call it a hunch.”

 

I shook my head and giggled at his constant blind jabs. “Fine then,  _ I’ll  _ do the leading, Matt.”

 

“Well now I think that’s even  _ worse. _ ” Matt’s smirk grew even wider as he commented. 

 

“Wise ass.” I replied, failing to stop my laughter as we entered the building and walked towards the elevator. 

  
  


We made it up to our floor without further incident. It wasn’t until we came close to my apartment that I realized Matt was still holding my groceries. 

 

I turned to retrieve my groceries from him, “Thanks so much for your help, Matt. I can take it from here.”

 

However, Matt rebutted, “Nonsense, my lovely neighbor. I can help carry them in your place, if that’s okay of course.”

 

I hesitated for a minute. I wasn’t sure how to feel about having a man I barely know inside my private home. On the other hand, Matt’s a really nice guy and has given me no reason not to trust him. So far. 

 

“Um, yeah sure,” I finally replied. “Come on in.”

 

I unlocked the door and allowed Matt inside first. I followed after, leaving the door open.  **_Just in case._ **

 

“The counter is about five steps to your right, you can set them down there.” I told him as I made my way over to the counter. 

 

Matt seemed to appreciate the gesture. “Thank you,” he smiled as he walked towards the counter. “Not many people are courteous enough to give helpful tips like that.”

 

I smiled and replied as I unpacked my groceries, “My mom’s blind. I grew up knowing how be helpful and respectful better than some people.” I figured giving him that one honest thing about me couldn’t hurt. 

 

Matt smiled in understanding. “That must’ve been a challenge growing up.”

 

I shook my head, “It was at first when I was really little and didn’t quite understand yet, but she’s always been fiercely independent.  She never had too hard of a time being able to do  _ anything  _ without sight.” 

 

“She sounds like an amazing woman.” Matt said with admiration in his voice. 

 

I smiled with pride, “She really is.  I’ve missed her so much.”

 

Matt frowned, “Oh, I’m sorry. Did she…” 

 

I knew what he was asking and was quick to reply, “Oh no! Not yet, thank God.” I saw Matt relax with relief as I continued, “She’s in a nursing home. She had a stroke.”

 

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Matt replied. “Have you gone to see her since you moved here?”

 

I shook my head in disappointment, “Not yet. I…”  **_I don’t think it’s safe_ ** “I want to get settled in my new job first. Which I just got today.” I concluded, wanting to change the subject before I said too much. 

 

Matt seemed to go along with it as he responded, “Oh, that’s great! Where at?”

 

“This really cute little bakery on the corner of 57th street, so not too far from here. It’s called  _ Sweet Heaven. _ ” I smiled thinking about my exciting opportunity. 

 

Matt tilted his head in an amused smirk, “The irony of that name is not lost on me.” 

 

I let out a laugh when I got what he meant. “Well the owner does have a quirky sense of humor.” I started putting my groceries away as I continued talking, “Maybe you and Foggy can stop by sometime. The treats are pretty addicting, and I can already recommend some of my favorites.”

 

Matt chuckled as he replied, “I’m definitely going to take you up on that. Foggy has a hell of a sweet tooth.” He then frowned as he continued, “I’m sorry for how blunt he was earlier, by the way. He tends to speak first and think later.” 

 

I blushed in embarrassment from how I acted that morning. “It’s alright. I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly.  _ Twice _ now.” I hesitated before I continued with some vague honesty, “I’m going through some stuff right now, that I really don’t want to talk about, and I’ve just been on edge, to say the least.” 

 

**_Good. Giving him a little bit of truth without the actual details will feel less like lying, and hopefully be enough for him to not ask any questions._ **

 

Matt nodded in understanding as it felt like his eyes were staring into mine. “It’s alright, I understand completely.” He stepped closer towards me, stopping at a much closer, but still respectable distance. “And if you ever need any kind of help, or at least someone to talk to, I’m a really good listener. You’re a really nice girl to have as a neighbor, and if it’s alright with you, I’d like to be your friend.” He finished with sweet, gentle smile. 

 

My heart was beating so fast, I thought it would beat out of my chest. He sounded so sweet and sincere, and already treated me with more respect than I’ve ever been treated, it was taking everything in me not to cry. 

 

I cleared my throat to swallow the lump as I replied, “Thank you, Matt. I’d love to be your friend.” He flashed me his beautiful smile that shone even brighter than I’ve ever seen it so far. 

 

“Well since we’re friends now, it’s only right that you make it up to me for running off twice in a row and hurting my feelings in the process.” He smirked, breaking the emotional and tense moment with his humor. 

 

I let out a laugh, “Okay, you got me.  What are your terms, council?”

 

Matt’s eyebrow raised as he held his smirk, “Starting on lawyer jokes, huh? I can see I’m starting to rub off on you.” 

 

**_Please don’t talk about rubbing anything off on me after we’ve just become friends. I’m testing myself as it is._ **

 

Matt continued, “How about you make it up to me by joining me for dinner tomorrow night?”

 

My heart stopped. I should’ve expected him to say that, but I didn’t.  The idea of a dinner alone with him made me thrilled, but also really nervous at the intimacy of it all.  But we’d just become friends, and I felt I could trust him. 

 

“Um, sure! I’d love to.” That provoked another brilliant smile from him, causing me to smile along with him. “What did you have in mind?”

 

He shrugged, “Not sure yet. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, ok?  I might take you up on your suggestion and stop by the bakery.” 

 

I smiled in relief as I replied, “Sounds good. I’m there from 8 till 4 tomorrow, so you can stop by anytime between that time.”

 

“Sounds great. I look forward to seeing you there.” My eyebrow raised at his funny choice of words. The man loved his blind jokes. He chuckled as he continued, “Well I’ve taken up enough of your time, and I have some work to do, so I’ll get out of your hair.” 

 

I smiled as I walked him towards the still open door. “Okay, thanks again, Matt. It was really nice talking to you.”

 

Matt turned to face me as he smiled at me, “It was nice talking to you, Iris. Have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

 

I giggled and replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t work  _ too  _ hard.”

 

Matt smirked as he made the short walk to his apartment, “I make no promises.”

 

I rolled my eyes in amusement, “Well then don’t  _ hurt yourself _ from working too hard.” 

 

He still held that sexy smirk as he replied, “I can’t make promises on  _ that  _ either.”

 

I laughed, not knowing how true that statement could be. “Goodnight, you workaholic!” I heard him say it back as I closed the door. 

 

Before I went back to putting my groceries away, I decided to try out the stereo. I plugged it in and popped in David Bowie’s greatest hits. As I pressed play, my attention drew to the cupboard and I noticed that I had stacked the cans in perfect, pristine order, with the labels facing out in perfect unison.

 

Just the way  _ he  _ liked it. 

 

I must’ve been so caught up in talking to Matt, that I stacked them on autopilot. Before I could lose myself in another painful memory, I faintly heard the familiar riffs of  _ Modern Love _ . My favorite song. 

 

**_He’s not here to take it away from you. He can’t punish you for listening to it. You’re free. You’re safe. Now turn up the volume and knock those fucking cans down!_ **

 

Feeling more determined, I turned up the volume loud enough to fill the empty space, and proceeded to happily knock the pristine cans off alignment. My giggles grew louder and louder as I knocked each can into the cupboard until it was a wonderful, unorganized mess. 

 

My heart felt light as a feather, I felt the sudden urge to dance. So I did. 

 

I danced like I was Molly Ringwald in  _ The Breakfast Club _ , I did clumsy cartwheels in my living room, I jumped up on the couch and danced on the cushions, and I sang loud and proud to the lyrics I haven’t heard in so long. 

 

_ But I try _ _   
_ _ I try _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Never going to fall for _ _   
_ _ (Modern Love) _ _   
_ _ Walks beside me _ _   
_ _ (Modern Love) _ _   
_ _ Walks on by _ _   
_ _ (Modern Love) _ _   
_ _ Gets me to the Church on Time _ _   
_ _ (Church on Time) _ _   
_ _ Terrifies me _ _   
_ _ (Church on Time) _ _   
_ _ Makes me party _ _   
_ _ (Church on Time) _ _   
_ _ Puts my trust in God and Man _ _   
_ _ (God and Man) _ _   
_ _ No confessions! _ _   
_ _ (God and Man) _ _   
_ _ No religion _ _   
_ _ (God and Man) _ _   
_ _ Don't believe _ _   
_ __ In Modern Love

 

This was the first real fun I’d had in years, I sang and danced like no one was watching. I was too lost in the music that I didn’t notice the familiar dark figure standing on the rooftop across from my window watching over me with a smile on his face.

* * *

 

I woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed and relaxed than ever. I jumped out of bed and quickly got myself all pretty and ready for my first day at work. 

 

I didn’t see Matt as I left the apartment, so I assumed he was at work already. I couldn’t wait to see him later today. 

  
  


I seemed like time had gone by fast as Lucy was training me. We were having such a good time working together, I didn’t realize it was almost noon. And no sign of Matt yet. 

 

I was wiping the counter, feeling anxious, when I heard the bell ring from the door opening. 

 

“Hi, welcome to  _ Sweet Heaven _ ! How may I help you?” I greeted before I looked up and recognized the two familiar faces. One being the cool red shades and dazzling smile of Matt Murdock, the other being the blonde teddy bear known as Foggy Nelson. “Oh hey, guys!” I grinned. 

 

“Hello, lovely Iris, and what a glorious Heaven it is!” Exclaimed Foggy with excitement. 

 

I giggled in reply, “Well, just wait until you’ve had a bite. You’ll  _ really  _ be in Heaven then!” I turned towards Matt and smiled even brighter. “Hi, Matt.”

 

He smiled back, “Hi, Iris. How’s your first day going so far?”

 

“So far so good!” I replied. “We had a slight breakfast rush this morning, but it’s mellowed out for now. And you’ll be happy to know that I haven’t burned anything even once!” I finished, feeling very proud of myself. 

 

Matt let out a laugh, “I’m very impressed, Ms. Rogers. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about filing a lawsuit for burnt pastries anytime soon.” He said with a sly smirk. 

 

I rolled my eyes with a chuckle, “Don’t jinx me! The day is still young, Mr. Murdock.” 

 

I heard the familiar steps of a stunning brunette amazon walking up behind me as she cut in, “What’s this I’m hearing about lawsuits, Iris?” Lucy asked as she stood next to me. “Don’t tell me I’m losing you already! I just trained you on how to preserve the bodies properly in the freezer. You can’t take that away from me!” She said, being so serious with her dramatics, I didn’t know if the guys understood she was joking. 

 

I laughed as I played along, “Don’t worry, Lucy. The bodies will continue being looked after properly.” She sighed in relief. I heard Matt’s hypnotizing laugh as I gestured toward the two lawyers. “I’d like you to meet my friends Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson. They’re lawyers, so be careful what you say in front of them.” I said with my own amused smirk. 

 

Lucy smiled at the gentlemen, and especially waves flirtatiously at a certain blushing blonde teddy bear. 

 

“Guys,” I continued the introductions, “This beautiful woman is Lucy Addams, the owner of this literal piece of Heaven.”

 

Lucy stepped out from behind the counter to shake hands with the handsome men as I followed to join them. 

 

“It’s very nice to meet you, gentlemen.” Lucy said as she held up her hand, Matt being the first to take it. 

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Addams.” He said with his charming smile. “I’ve heard your bakery is amazing, and I’m really looking forward to trying some of your desserts.”

 

Lucy smiled, “Why thank you, Mr. Murdock. I hope you enjoy it, especially the treats Iris has baked herself.” She gestured towards me. 

 

“I’m sure I’ll love them.” He smirked in my general direction. “And please, like I’ve told Iris several times before, call me Matt. We don’t need to be so formal.”

 

We shared a laugh as Lucy replied, “As long as you call me Lucy.” She then turned towards Foggy, who I had just realized was completely silent ever since Lucy came out. “And  _ you  _ must be Foggy, isn’t that right, handsome?” She smiled flirtatiously at him. 

 

Silence. Foggy stood silently in a daze, looking at Lucy with the closest thing to “heart eyes” I’ve ever seen. I failed to hold back my snort of amusement. 

 

Matt “subtly” nudged Foggy back to earth, knocking him out of his daze.  

 

“Hi!” Foggy squeaked as he gently shook her hand, “I’m Foggy Addams-  _ Nelson _ ! Foggy  _ Nelson _ . You’re so beautiful- I mean it’s  _ beautiful to meet you _ !” He stammered, his face getting redder and redder. 

 

I was snorting like a pig, I tried so hard not to laugh and embarrass the poor love struck man even further. Matt appeared to be struggling as well, his lips tightening, failing to keep a straight face in front of his friend. 

 

Lucy just smiled, her cheeks reddening. “It’s beautiful to meet you, too, Foggy.” The blonde teddy bear let out a giggle, while he was still holding her hand. Lucy continued, “And as for the last name, let’s have some treats and get to know each other first.” She winked. 

 

Foggy’s eyes widened as his hand went limp, finally letting go of her hand. Matt and I stood and witnessed Lucy leading Foggy by the hand towards the desserts while he kept his heart eyes on her and followed her lead like a lost puppy. 

 

Foggy had it  _ bad.  _ I looked over at Matt, my heart racing as I stared at his contagious smile. 

 

**_I’m right there with you, Foggy._ **

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave some comments! Until next time *kiss noise*


	5. Just Friends...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris and Matt go on their "dinner that's not a date"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey guys! I’m back with chapter 5, and boy are you in for a ride! I’m gonna be vague as hell and leave it at that. Hope you enjoy it!

** Chapter 5: Just Friends…? **

 

As soon as my shift ended, I rushed home to start getting ready for my evening with Matt. My body was shivering with anticipation, my stomach filled with butterflies and doing constant somersaults.

 

I shouldn’t be so nervous over a simple and casual dinner, it’s not like it was a  _ date _ . 

 

**_It’s a goddamn date and you know it._ **

 

It’s only a casual dinner with Matt. 

 

**_Beautiful, sweet, sinfully sexy Matt who is obviously attracted to you._ **

 

A casual dinner with Matt, who is my neighbor and  _ just my friend.  _

 

**_Really? Just friends? Tell that to your hormones, you dirty liar._ **

 

With my stupid thoughts refusing to shut up, I reached for my CD collection and popped in the first one I grabbed, which ended up being Erasure.  **_Whoever owned these CDs had excellent taste._ **

 

The beginning chords of  _ A Little Respect  _ started playing as danced towards my closet. 

 

_ I try to discover _ _   
_ _ A little something to make me sweeter _ _   
_ _ Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart _ _   
_ _ I'm so in love with you _ _   
_ __ I'll be forever blue

 

I continued singing to the lyrics, not really paying attention to the lyrics as I went through every dress I owned. Unfortunately that wasn’t saying much, since I had very little to offer in my wardrobe.  Packing light didn’t leave much room for much clothing. 

 

After spending 20 minutes fussing over it, I finally settled on a light grey sweater with long sleeves to cover the bruises, and an A-line red skirt that sat a few inches above my knees, completed with black tights and my black ankle boots. 

 

**_Red and grey, huh? Interesting choice of colors._ **

 

I continued to ignore my inner thoughts as I put on a bit of makeup and brushed my hair. 

 

I heard a knock at my door 10 minutes later and my heart, as well as the butterflies in my stomach started fluttering at ludicrous speed once more. 

 

I tried to calm myself as I reached for my jacket along with the small heart shaped purse Lucy was kind enough to loan me. I rushed to the door, paused to take a deep breath, and opened the door to greet my friend Matt, who was  _ not  _ my date. 

 

**_Keep telling yourself that._ **

 

“Hi Matt!” I greeted with a smile I seemed to always have when I was around him. 

 

My heart raced as he smiled back at me, “Hi, Iris. You look beautiful tonight.”

 

“And how exactly can you tell, Mr. Murdock?” I giggled as my eyebrow raise in amusement, “I could be dressed like a homeless person for all you know.”

 

Matt belly laughed, “You raise a very good point, Ms. Roberts.” He tilted his head as he “looked” right at me. “But something tells me that’s just not the case with you. How can I tell you look beautiful? I just  _ know.  _ Call it a hunch.” He finished with a knowing and sexy smirk. 

 

**_Well what the hell do I say to_ ** **that** **_without making an aroused idiot of myself?_ **

 

I didn’t have to touch my face to know I was blushing tomato red. I cleared my throat as I tried to change the subject. “Thank you, Matt. You look beautiful all the time.” My eyes widened at the realization of what I said.  **_So much for changing the subject, you twit!_ **

 

Matt’s eyebrows rose as I stuttered to fix my slip up, “I-I meant  _ handsome.  _ You look handsome all the time- I mean  _ tonight!  _ Not that you don’t all the time, I just meant-um…”  **_You’re making it worse, shut up!_ ** “So where are we going again? We should go!”  **_Smooth._ **

 

Matt, God bless him, tried his hardest not to laugh at my embarrassing display. He was kind enough to go along with actually changing the subject. “You should probably turn off your music first.” 

 

I stood there confused for a second before I heard the current song playing loud and clear in my apartment. 

 

_ When it's cold outside _ _   
_ _ Am I here in vain? _ _   
_ _ Hold on to the night _ _   
_ __ There will be no shame

_   
_ _ Always, I want to be with you _ _   
_ _ And make believe with you _ _   
_ __ And live in harmony, harmony oh love 

 

**_Fuckin Erasure!_ **

 

My already flushed face turned even redder as I rushed to shut off the stereo I  _ thought  _ was my friend. Of course it would play  _ Always _ at the most inappropriate time after I already embarrassed myself once this evening. 

 

I let out a silent prayer that this would be the last of my awkward moments for the night before I walked back towards Matt and locked the door. 

 

I turned to look at him, still blushing. “I’m sorry about that. My brain is sort of all over the place.”

 

Matt just gave another sweet and beautiful smile in return as we started walking towards the elevator. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, that sounded like a pretty good song. Who was it?”

 

“Erasure. The song’s called  _ Always. _ ” I replied, the blush starting to fade from my face, but still very much present. “I haven’t listened to them in years, they’re one of my favorites.”

 

Matt nodded with a smile. He motioned for me to step on the elevator first as he replied, “They sound pretty good. I’d ask if I could borrow your CD sometime, but I can hear your music through the walls perfectly.” 

 

My eyes widened with guilt, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry for playing my music too loud. I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.” 

 

Matt’s brows furrowed with confusion, “Iris, you don’t need to apologize.” He reassured me, “I wasn’t implying that you were disturbing me. And you’re the furthest thing from insensitive.” 

 

I looked up at him timidly, “Really? I wasn’t bothering you? Because I’ll be sure to keep the music down from now on.”

 

Matt just smiled that sweet endearing smile that always makes me melt, “Please don’t. I actually enjoy hearing it. It’s a nice change from hearing the city noises and sirens all night.”

 

I smiled with relief, ignoring my rapidly beating heart as we stepped out of the elevator and made our way out to the restaurant with Matt leading the way.

* * *

 

_ Bella Notte  _ was a little hidden gem of an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away from home. The delicious smell of garlic, Italian spices, and marinara greeted us as we entered the restaurant. The space was small, could fit maybe 30 people at the most, very intimate. The lightning was somewhat dim with fairy lights hanging on the ceiling and a lit candle at each table, giving it an enchanting ambiance. Paintings of different parts of Italy adorned the rustic brick walls. The music of Frank Sinatra’s  _ Night and Day  _ filled the air. 

 

We were shown to our table that was towards the back of the restaurant. Matt, the perfect gentleman, pulled my chair out for me to sit before he took his seat across from me. The waiter took our drink orders and left us alone to look over the menus. 

 

I looked over at Matt, concerned that he didn’t have a menu in braille. “Matt, would you like me to read the menu for you? You can let me know what sounds good.”

 

Matt shook his head with a grateful smile. “No thank you, Iris, that won’t be necessary. Thanks for the offer though, that’s really thoughtful of you.”

 

“It’s no problem at all.” I smiled in return. “I take it you’ve been here enough times to remember the menu?”

 

“Yeah, you’d be right about that.” He chuckled. “I usually get the chicken parmigiana. It’s pretty amazing.”

 

I instantly felt my mouth water. I hadn’t been allowed to eat anything fried or breaded in years.  _ He  _ insisted I needed to watch my weight, even though I never once had a weight problem. 

 

**_What the hell did he know? He doesn’t matter anymore, so don’t think about him. Focus on the sweet, gorgeous man in front of you who is the complete opposite of that monster._ **

 

“You know what? That sounds fantastic, I think I’ll have the same.” I replied. 

 

Matt grinned, “Okay, great! I promise you won’t regret it.”

 

The waiter chose that moment to return with our two glasses of red wine. I gave Matt the okay to do the honors of ordering our food for us. 

 

“I’m going to remember you said that in case I have to sue you for false advertising.” I jokingly threatened as the waiter walked off.  “And there’s witnesses that will back me up.”

 

Matt laughed, “Oh, hell, you got me there. I’ll have to make extra sure you enjoy it then. Foggy would never let me live it down if you took me to court.” 

 

“Well, I imagine he wouldn’t, since I’m going to hire him as my attorney.” I laughed as Matt let out a dramatic gasp. 

 

“Ms. Roberts! You would dare use my own partner against me? What makes you so sure he’ll even betray his best friend like that?” He asked with suspicion. 

 

I was quick to reply, “He has heart eyes for my boss. I just need to have her ask him, and he’ll be putty in our hands.”

 

Matt’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “I didn’t take you for the type to play dirty, Ms. Roberts. I’m impressed.”

 

I smiled in victory, and I might or might not have done a little victory dance in my chair. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mr. Murdock. I’m just full of surprises.”   **_If he only knew._ **

 

“Well I’m hoping I can change that with time, Iris.” Matt replied with that sexy smirk I love so much. “I’d love to get to know you better, if that’s okay.”

 

I blushed as I tried to think of how to approach this without giving too much away. “Yeah...I guess that’s okay…” I hesitated. “How about we play 20 questions? I tell you things, you tell me things.” 

 

“Quid pro quo, Clarice?” Matt joked. 

 

“I’m pretty sure  _ you’re  _ the Clarice in this scenario.” I quipped. 

 

“Okay, Hannibal. Just don’t eat my liver.” He chuckled with a smirk. 

 

“I make no promises, Matt. This  _ is  _ a very nice Chianti.”  I replied as I took a sip of my wine. 

 

Matt let out an infectious belly laugh that echoed through the tiny restaurant. Before he could say anything else, our waiter came back with our meals in record time. 

 

“Before we start our game, you have to take your first bite and be honest about how amazing it tastes.”  Matt stated as he waited patiently for me to take the bite. 

 

It was  _ delicious.  _ The crispness of the breaded chicken was bursting with flavor in my mouth, the fresh pasta soaked in marinara sauce was so mouth watering, the smoked mozzarella literally melted in my mouth. It felt like my palate was awakened. 

 

“It’s good, right?” Matt asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

“No.” I replied with a straight face. 

 

Matt looked confused as he was stunned silent. 

 

I couldn’t hold back my laughter and decided not to torture him any longer, “It’s  _ amazing _ !” 

 

Matt let out a surprised laugh, “Oh I’m gonna get you back for that.” He pointed at me threateningly with a sneaky smile on his face. 

 

**_You’ve already got me._ ** My heart skipped a beat at the thought. Matt tilted his head slightly, as if he heard my heartbeat. 

 

I quickly brushed it off with a laugh. “Good luck with that, Clarice.”

 

“Alright, Hannibal,” Matt chuckled, “Let’s play.  Ladies first.”

 

“Thank you, don’t mind if I do.” I replied as I thought of my first question. “How old are you?”

 

“Starting off easy, I see. I’m 32.” He replied. “How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

 

I smiled cheekily, “I’ll allow it for now. I’m 23.”  Matt’s eyebrows raised in surprise at my answer. “What music do you love?” I asked. 

 

Matt took a second to think about it. “I honestly don’t listen to music that often, but I like a bit of everything I suppose. Oldies especially. Nothing too crazy.”

 

“So you like Rap?” I smirked waiting for his answer. 

 

“I can’t stand it. It gives me headaches.” He replied with a grimace. “I already know the music  _ you  _ like. What music do you  _ hate _ ? Or at least strongly dislike?”

 

I answered without a second thought, “I dislike classical music. I  _ hate  _ Hector Berlioz.”

 

Matt tilted his head in curiosity. “Really? Why Berlioz?”

 

My spine stiffened and my voice went hollow before I could help it. “His  _ Symphonie Fantastique  _ gives me nightmares.” 

 

It was  _ his _ favorite piece to play every time he got  _ excited  _ and would…

 

**_Don’t think about that. Not now. Not when you’re having such a great night with such a sweet and kind gentleman. He doesn’t need to know about that._ **

 

I shook myself out of my thoughts as I quickly changed the subject before Matt could have a chance to question me about it.  “So, have you always lived in New York?”

 

Matt cleared his throat before he answered, “Yeah, all my life. I’ve actually never been anywhere else, really. New York and Hell’s Kitchen is all I’ve ever known.”

 

“I can’t say I blame you there.” I replied. “I’ve been here for almost a week now and I honestly can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Matt’s smile lit up his face at my comment. “That’s great! Some people would say it’s a waste not to travel anywhere, but I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.  It’s not like I could see any new places anyway.”

 

I shook my head. “You’re not missing anything. I traveled to get  _ here, _ obviously, but it was just a means to an end. I’m much happier and at home here.”

 

“Where were you at before coming here? If you don’t mind me asking.” Matt asked, getting back to our question game. 

 

**_A little more truth won’t hurt._ ** “Miami, Florida.”

 

“Florida?” Matt asked, sounding surprised and intrigued. “That’s quite a difference from Hell’s Kitchen. What was it like?”

 

**_My own personal Hell._ ** “It was beautiful at first…” I trailed off. 

 

Matt’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. “And later?”

 

**_A fucking prison I nearly died to get out of._ **  “I outgrew it.”

 

Matt seemed to sense my desire to change the subject. “What color is your hair now?”

 

My eyebrow raised in confusion. Matt again seemed to sense it as he explained, “I can smell the fresh dye in your hair,” He grimaced, “That sounded a lot less creepy in my head.”

 

I let out a laugh, breaking the tension that was in the air. “Pretty impressive senses, Mr. Murdock. It’s red. I was pale blonde before.”

 

Matt smiled as he asked softly, “What do you look like?”

 

I didn’t spare a second thought as I stood up to to sit in an empty chair next to him. My heart started racing as I reached for his hands. I could feel his hand tremble slightly as his fingertips touched my cheeks. His touch was as soft as silk as he gently explored my face, touching with the utmost care as if I were a porcelain doll. I felt my eyes well up with unshed tears at the first truly gentle touch I’ve gone so long without. His hands felt slightly rough with calluses, yet they felt heavenly against my skin. 

 

“My eyes are blue. Like the ocean.” I whispered as his fingertips lightly grazed the closed lids of my eyes. 

 

“They sound beautiful.” He replied just as softly. “I can only imagine how blue they must look with the red hair.” He gently ran his fingers through the tendrils of my hair. 

 

I gently smiled, “They’ve gotten bluer since I’ve moved here.”  **_And brighter since I’ve met_ ** **you** **_._ **

 

My heart skipped a beat as his fingertips saved my lips for last. My lips tingled at his touch as if they were coming alive for the first time in years. His fingertips stopped dead in their tracks as they felt that awful cut on my lower lip. My body stiffened as I opened my eyes to gauge his reaction. His jaw tightened so hard, I could hear his teeth grinding, he looked  _ furious.  _ I couldn’t explain it, but I could feel it in my heart that his anger wasn’t toward me, even though my knee-jerk reaction as well as force of habit tried to insist that it  _ was.  _

 

“It’s nothing.” I tried to soothe his silent anger. “It was just an accident.”

 

Matt loosened his jaw slightly as he gently replied, “The idea of you being hurt in any way is not  _ nothing. _ ” 

 

Sensing the increased tension in my body made him loosen up more. He gently held my cheek in his hand as he “looked” at me. 

 

“Are you okay?” He asked with genuine concern. 

 

I gave a shaky nod as I swallowed back the threatening tears. “I’m going to be.”

 

He gave a tender smile as he leaned towards me and asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

 

I couldn’t stop the belly laugh that burst out at his random question that gratefully lightened the mood. 

 

“Red.”

* * *

 

The rest of the evening went beautifully after that. I told Matt as much of the truth as I felt was harmless and necessary, and I got to learn more about Matt’s life. His rough childhood of losing his sight while saving a man’s life, losing his father shortly after that and spending his childhood in an orphanage. But with the worst times came the best times; meeting Foggy, passing the bar exam, making the giant leap into starting their own practice together. 

Maybe that was one of the reasons I found myself so drawn to Matt. We’re both survivors of our own personal Hell. One different from the other, but we both survived. He made it out so much stronger. Stronger than I did, no doubt. I don’t really believe I’m as strong as Matt, but maybe someday I  _ will _ be. And maybe I could start by stop denying myself the chance to get close to Matt. 

 

Not that I was doing a good job of doing that to begin with. Despite telling myself to avoid him, it hasn’t really worked out, and maybe now I’m realizing that that’s a good thing. 

 

We’re never going to be “just friends”, and I’m starting to really open up to the possibility of being more. 

 

We made it back to our apartment building as I was pondering over my realization. Matt, ever the gentleman, stopped at my door first; stepping aside to let me unlock the door. 

 

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Matt.” I told him with a grin I was sure he could sense. 

 

He of course offered his gorgeous smile in return. “I did too, Iris. Maybe we can do it again sometime soon?” He asked , his voice filled with hope. 

 

“I’d love to.” I answered. “Just let me know when and where.”

 

“You got it.” He replied with a smile of relief. He leaned towards me and gave me a tender kiss in my cheek, causing it to instantly heat up. “Goodnight Iris.”

 

“Goodnight, Matt.” I replied as I decided to be bold and kiss him on the cheek in return. 

 

The smile I received shined brighter than the lights in Las Vegas. His cheeks flushed pink as he turned away and walked to his apartment door. 

 

I closed the door and practically floated into bed, falling asleep with a smile on my face.

* * *

 

It was the middle of the night when an unsettling feeling came over me. I felt a dark presence in the room. 

 

Someone was standing over my bed. 

 

I kept my eyes shut tight, my knuckles turned white from the death grip I had on my pillow, trying to will the presence away. 

 

“Hello, Princess.”

 

My blood ran cold. 

 

My body trembled as my eyes opened to see the gigantic, familiar, threatening shadow towering over me. 

 

“I told you I’d always find you.” He said in a pleased and taunting voice. 

 

I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak. Not even to cry out for help. 

 

“Do you have any idea how worried I was over you?” He growled as he leaned down to face me, forcing me to look into his cold blue eyes. “Now you’ve forced me to punish you,  _ again. _ ” He declared as he held up his usual punishment of choice; a heavy can wrapped in a towel like it was a nap sack. 

 

“I’m going to make sure you  _ never  _ leave me again!” He yelled as he raised his arm to strike. 

 

Only then was I able to scream...

* * *

 

My eyes popped open as I sat up screaming my head off. I looked around the room and saw that I was alone. 

 

**_It was a dream. It was only a dream._ **

 

However, I couldn’t stop the panicked breaths I was taking. It felt so  _ real.  _

 

**_But it_ ** **wasn’t** **_real. He’s not here. He hasn’t found you. You’re safe!_ **

 

I sure as fuck didn’t  _ feel  _ safe. 

 

My legs felt heavy like dumbbells as I bolted out of my bed. I rushed towards the bathroom to empty my stomach in the toilet. I yanked back the shower curtain to make sure the tub was empty. I rushed over to the closet to check that nobody was hiding in there. 

 

I ran like a madwoman to check that all the windows were shut and locked. I ran to the door to make sure that all of the locks were locked, then I unlocked and relocked each of them three more times to make extra sure. 

 

I went to one of the drawers and grabbed the biggest kitchen knife I had before I stumbled back to the locked door, leaning against it as I slid to the floor. 

 

I grasped the knife with both hands as though my life depended on it. Only then did I succumb to the impending meltdown the nightmare had thrust upon me. 

 

My entire body trembled as I failed to control the tears running down my face and the painful sobs in my throat; I came to realize that no matter how far away I am...I was never going to be free of him.

  
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. Iris still has quite a way to go in order to move on, and it’s not gonna be easy. More is getting revealed about her past, and there will be even more revealed in chapter 6, so stay tuned! Until next time, please subscribe and leave feedback! *kiss noise*


	6. Pain, There For So Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The painful morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I’m back with number 6!!! Last chapter was a roller coaster of emotions, and this one is full on angst, so brace yourselves… There’s no music playing in the actual chapter, but the song that inspired the chapter title is “Pain” by Tiger Army. Great song, and it’s perfect for Iris. Anywho, enough of my rambling, on with Chapter 6!

##  **Chapter 6: Pain, There For So Long**

I woke up the next morning still sitting on the floor, barricading the door.  I use that term loosely; waking up would require going to sleep first.

After that terrifying nightmare last night, I was on high alert and in full panic mode. I kept the knife in a vice-like grip the entire night, as if I was expecting him to pop up out of nowhere.

**_But that’s not going to happen. He’s still in Miami, he has no idea you’re here. You’re safe._ **

Was I  _really_ , though?

As long as I was being plagued by these nightmares and the paranoia, I was  _never_  going to be safe. Not from the dark corners of my mind. Not really.

I sluggishly stood up and walked over to my room to get dressed for work. I had no idea how I was going to get through the day without passing out from exhaustion. But I couldn’t disappoint Lucy on my second day of work. I’d never forgive myself.

It wasn’t until I reached for my clothes in the dresser that I realized I was still holding the knife. I shakily set it down on the dresser, allowing a few tears to fall before I stiffened my spine with determination and grabbed my clothes.

I was exiting my apartment and locking the door when I saw Matt stepping out of his apartment at the same time.

“Good morning, Iris.” Matt greeted. His voice so sweet and tender, it even sounded concerned. I was on the brink of tears again.

“Good morning, Matt.” I replied, my voice as hollow and broken as I felt.

Matt tilted his head in concern. “Are you alright? You don’t sound so good.” He asked as he stepped towards me.

“Yeah, I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” I replied, my eyes shifting to the ground.

“Are you sure?” He asked, his voice a lot closer as he reached out to touch my shoulder.

I couldn’t control the impulse as I flinched away from him. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s no big deal.”  ** _Liar_**.

Matt seemed to agree with my inner thoughts. “I’m sorry, but I’m having trouble believing you.” Matt replied as we started walking towards the elevator. I walked ahead of him to keep him at a distance.

“Well, it’s really none of your concern, Matt.” My voice was tight as I tried to keep my composure.

“I disagree.” Matt argued as he walked ahead to stop me from moving. “Iris, I care about you.  A lot.  So whatever you’re going through  _is_  my concern.” He tentatively reached for my face to caress my cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I feel something between us, and I know you do too.”

I could hear my heart racing, my eyes welling up with tears. “Maybe there  _shouldn’t_  be anything between us.” I whispered broken-hearted. ** _Don’t you dare end this with him before it can really start._**

Matt stiffened. “Don’t do that. I know what you’re trying to do.”  _ **Of course he does. He’s a very clever man.**_ “I know you’re in some kind of trouble, and I want to help you. But you have to let me in.   _Please_.”  He begged desperately.

I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat as tears ran down my cheeks and onto his hand. My voice cracked as I gently squeezed his hand before pushing it away, and I replied, “ _Nobody_  can help me.”

With that, I walked around him, not giving him a chance to argue. I walked past the elevator and took the stairs instead, distancing myself further from the first genuinely sweet man I had met.

* * *

I entered the bakery feeling more broken and exhausted than I felt earlier this morning. I had barely reached the counter when Lucy appeared from the kitchen.

“No.” She pointed at me with authority. “Go home.”

My eyes widened perplexed. “Good morning?”

“Good morning, Sweetie.” Lucy greeted. “Now go home.”

“Why? What did I do?” I asked, feeling super confused.

“Not taking care of yourself, apparently.” Lucy replied, gently scolding me. “You, my friend, need to go home and sleep. You can come back to work tomorrow or when you’re well-rested.”

Now I was even more confused. “How the Hell did you even know about that?”

Lucy was quick to reply, “Matt called Foggy, and then Foggy called me. So it’s my duty as your new boss and best friend to help you.”

I had so many questions for that statement, but only one came to mind at the moment. “Foggy called you?”

“I encouraged him to ask me out and I gave him my number; don’t change the subject.” Lucy replied with a fond smile on her face. “The point is we’re all worried about you, and you need to take care of yourself even if the three of us have to force you.”

There was no winning this argument with technically three people ganging up on me for my own good.

“Alright.” I conceded. “You win, I’m going. I’m so sorry, Lucy.” I felt so guilty for being the one thing I hated being. A burden.

Lucy wrapped me in a comforting hug. “Don’t be sorry, Iris. Just get some rest and come back when you feel better. And call me if you ever want to talk about what’s going on with you, okay?”

I nodded as my eyes welled up with tears for what felt like the hundredth time. “Thank you so much, Lucy.”

I started walking towards the exit when I stopped and asked one more question. “Did you call yourself my best friend?”

Lucy shrugged with a smile, “We baked shot glasses out of cookies and christened them with chocolate liqueur. If that’s not Best Friend material, I don’t know  _what_  is.”

I let out the first laugh I’ve had today. “I couldn’t agree more.  See you tomorrow.” I waved to her as I walked out of the bakery. Unaware of a familiar presence watching over me and following me from the rooftops above my head.

* * *

I couldn’t bring myself to go back to my apartment yet. The idea of being cooped up in there alone with my thoughts and the nightmare from last night still lingering terrified me. I just kept walking with no real destination in mind.

I found myself at a park not too far from a hospital I passed on the way.

I saw an old pay phone nearby; surprised there were any still around, I quickly made my way towards it. Relieved to find it was still working, I put in the change and called for the one person whose voice I desperately needed to hear.

_“Amsterdam Nursing Home. How may I help you?”_ A woman’s voice greeted on the other end.

“May I speak to Violet Williams in room 17, please?” I asked patiently.

_“May I ask who’s calling?”_  The woman kindly asked.

“A friend of the family.” I answered.

Thankfully that was enough for the receptionist to patch me through to her room.

I could feel my palms sweating, my heart beating a mile a minute.

_“Hello?_ ” My mouth went dry as I heard the sweetest voice that always gave me comfort.

“Hi, Mom.” I whispered, keeping my hand on the mouthpiece so she couldn’t hear me.

I had panicked. I didn’t have the courage to speak to her yet. But all I wanted was to hear her voice.

_“Is anyone there?”_  The sweet and confused voice asked.

“I love you so much.” My whispered voice cracked from the tears I fought to hold back.

_“If someone’s there, could you speak up, please? I can’t hear you.”_  Mom asked kindly with a chuckle, breaking my composure more and more.

“I have so much to tell you.” My knuckles turned white from the death grip.

_“Jane, I don’t think anyone’s there.”_ I heard Mom say to who I assumed was her nurse.

“But I’m okay.” I whispered, wishing I had the courage to let her hear me.

_“I’ll hang that up for you, Violet.”_  Another woman, possibly Jane, said on Mom’s end.

“I miss you, Mommy.” I said as the other line hung up and all I heard was the dial tone.

It was only when I hung up the phone did I allow myself to surrender to my tears.

I wandered aimlessly through the park until the lack of sleep caught up with me, urging my exhausted body to sit down.

I sat down at the nearest empty bench,staring off into nothing as I lost myself in my thoughts.

I was startled out of my thoughts as someone took a seat next to me.

“Hi. I’m sorry if I startled you, but is it okay if I sit here?” The woman kindly asked me.

I turned to look up at the stranger. She was a beautiful brunette with caramel colored skin, and was wearing blue hospital scrubs.  

I smiled and silently nodded for her to sit.

She sighed in relief. “Thanks. I’m on my lunch right now, and I needed to sit somewhere that wasn’t in the hospital.” She held up her small bag full of food, pulling out two green apples. She held one out to me.

“Here. You look like you haven’t eaten anything today.”

I shook my head in protest. “No, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine.” My stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger.

The woman eyebrow raised at the sound. “Sweetie, your stomach is calling you a liar. Take it. I have plenty.” She insisted as she pushed the apple into my hand.

“Thank you.” I softly replied as I took a huge bite of the apple.

“I’m Claire, by the way.” She introduced herself, holding out her hand towards me.

I took it in return, “Iris. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Claire replied. “I haven’t seen you around here before.” She rolled her eyes, “huge city, I know. But you seem new. Did you just move here? Or are you visiting?”

I couldn’t explain it, but I felt comfortable enough around this woman to give her an honest answer. “Just moved here. To be near my mom.  She’s by herself in a nursing home. She’s blind and can’t move her left side very well. She had a stroke.”

Claire’s face crumpled with sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” She paused for a moment before she continued. “Where were you at before? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“I was visiting an old friend.” I started to lie. “She needed me.”

Sympathy still painted Claire’s features. “Oh god, was she sick too?” She then shook her head. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

After going this long without telling anyone the truth about me, I couldn’t contain it any longer.  I felt so tired and done with keeping my past to myself. It didn’t really hit me until that moment that I needed to talk to  _someone_. Maybe I needed to talk to a kind stranger who I didn’t see every day. Who didn’t truly know me.  I needed to tell someone the truth.

“She left her husband.” I finally said in a whisper, causing Claire to turn her eyes towards me.

**_There’s no turning back now._ **

My heart raced as I continued, “He was a horrible man. He used to beat her.”

“Oh my god.” Claire gasped, keeping her eyes on me.

“It started right after their honeymoon.” My voice sounded hollow as I continued. “At first, he was charming, and tender. But then it all changed.  He was a tyrant; he controlled everything she did. Took away things she loved that he didn’t like. Kept her isolated from the world so that all she had was  _him_.  He said if she ever left him, he would punish her, and he  _meant_  it. His punishments…” My voice cracked and my body shivered at the memories. “Were terrible.”

I took a shaky breath to calm myself. “He would never let her go. He said he’d find her  _anywhere_.”

“What a bastard.” Claire visibly shivered as she asked, “Couldn’t she call the cops?”

I quickly nodded, already expecting that question. “Well yeah, she  _did_. She called them, and a lawyer too. They said she could make a citizen’s arrest, get a restraining order. It was pathetic.” I let out a weak laugh. “She knew that would never be enough. She truly realized that  _nobody_  could help her. She was all alone.”

“Well, how did she leave?” Claire asked anxiously.

I took a deep breath as I looked away from her. “She…risked  _everything_.  She escaped. Started a new life. New home. New look. New name.” I finished with a whisper.

The silence was deafening. I could feel Claire’s eyes on me as I looked over at the trees.

“She’s a really brave girl.” Claire spoke with admiration.

I shook my head in protest as I admitted in a broken whisper, “She thinks she’s a  _coward_.”

I felt the unnecessary shame of my actions hit me all at once. I never truly felt brave for doing what I did to escape him.

“A  _coward_?” Claire exclaimed in disbelief. “No way. Not a girl like that.”

**_I’m glad one of us thinks so._ **

“How long did you stay with him?”

My heart stopped and my head snapped over to face her. There was no judgment in her eyes. No disgust or shame. Just a knowing look of sympathy . She nodded in understanding.

Tears of pain and relief ran down my cheeks, my voice cracked as I replied. “Too long. Three years. Seven months. Six days.” Three years of my life I could never get back.

I quickly wiped the tears from my face as I gave Claire a broken smile.  “Thank you for the apple.” Claire smiled back at me, her own eyes welled up with unshed tears.  “And thank you for listening.” I thanked her graciously.

“Any time.” Claire replied with a gracious smile. “Do you have a phone on you?”

“Yeah, why?” I asked out of curiosity as I pulled out my cell phone.

Claire reaches for it and started typing on it. “I’m giving you my phone number. Anytime you need someone to talk to,or just have a friend to hang out with, give me a call.” She finished as she handed back my phone after using it to call hers.

“Thank you, Claire.” I said, not knowing what else to say to express how grateful I was.

“You don’t have to go through this alone anymore, Iris.” Claire gripped my hand in comfort. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

I nodded gratefully as I tried to swallow back the tears threatening to pour out once more. I couldn’t believe my luck at finding the most genuinely kind and caring people in Hell’s Kitchen of all places.

My mind immediately brought up Matt, and my heart felt heavy. I felt awful for how I treated him this morning. He poured his heart out to me and wanted to help me, and I repaid him by pushing him away. I didn’t even know where to begin with how to face him again.

Claire must’ve noticed my mood dampen even more. “What’s the matter?”

**_Well, you’ve gone this far with telling the truth.  Why stop now?_ **

“There’s a man,” I started, “He’s my neighbor.  He’s… _amazing_. He’s so sweet, and considerate, and funny, and charming.  I like him…probably so much more than I should.  He feels the same way, he told me as much this morning. He’s also incredibly clever and observant.  He knows that something is going on with me. He even wants to help me.” I started to crack as I continued. “I pushed him away. I was so rude to him. I just don’t know how I’m going to face him.” I rolled my eyes at myself, “Hell, after this morning, he probably wouldn’t want to come near me anyway.”

Claire rubbed my hand in sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. And if he’s as great of a guy as you say he is, then he won’t be driven away so easily. He probably understands better than you think.”

I couldn’t help but agree. “You’re right. He had his friend call my boss to send me home for the day because I didn’t sleep last night. He was worried about me, even after I was being horrible to him.”

“Sounds like a pretty great guy to me.” Claire chimed in.

“He really is. The amazing thing is he’s blind, and yet he can see things better than anyone else can. When I’m with him, it’s like he can not only see me, but see right through me into my soul.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Claire sit up a little straighter with curiosity.

“This neighbor of yours…his name wouldn’t happen to be Matt Murdock, would it?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“You know him?” My eyes widened.  ** _How small is this damn city?_**

Claire chuckled. “Yeah, he’s a friend.” She looked like she wanted to elaborate, but she didn’t. “If there’s one thing I can tell you about Matt, it’s that he’s extremely protective over the people he cares about the most.” She looked at me pointedly. “When he says he wants to help, he really means it, and will do everything he can to do it.”

“I believe you,” I said in agreement. “I definitely got that impression from him. But I just don’t know if he can help me with this. I tried talking to a lawyer before, and it did  _nothing_.”

“True, but Matt’s different from most lawyers. He actually gives a shit about the people he fights for.”  Claire gave me a gentle nudge in the shoulder. “And in your case, that  _especially_  means you.” My face flushed at her statement. “Now, Iris, I’m not going to push you into doing anything you don’t want to do. God knows, you’ve experienced enough of that. But will make a suggestion if you’re willing to hear me out.”

**_What do I have to lose?_**  “I’m listening.” My eyes met with hers, giving her my full attention.

“Talk to him.” She advised. “Tell him the truth. At least as much as you’re comfortable with. Speaking from personal experience, I know what it’s like to be with the wrong guy and have him break your trust, and you have  _every_  reason not to want to trust a man again.” She really gets it.  “But, and I’m not just saying this as his friend, you can trust Matt. Believe me when I say he’ll understand, and the last thing he would ever want to do is hurt you.”

What Claire said made a lot of sense. I thought it would be easier and safer to just keep my past to myself. However, I’m starting to realize that keeping everything that happened to me bottled up inside is actually doing more harm than good. Maybe telling Matt could help me; although the thought of telling him everything scares the shit out of me. Can I trust him? Should I trust him?

**_He’s been nothing but wonderful to you. He hasn’t given you any reason not to trust him. He wants to help you. Give him a chance._ **

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and nodded in understanding. “You make a hell of a point, Claire… I’ll try.”

Claire smiled, “At least you’re considering it, and that’s what matters.” Claire started to stand up from the bench. “I guess so should head back in before they actually miss me.” She said with a sarcastic roll of her brown eyes.

I offered a sympathetic smile, “It was great meeting you, Claire. I hope the rest of your day doesn’t get too crazy.”

Claire snorted, “You and me both!”  Claire stopped and looked at me. “Have you had a checkup at all?”

My brows furrowed in confusion, “Um, not in a long time. Why do you ask?”

Claire gave a tense nod. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m only asking because of what you said about…” she trailed off, hesitating on how to approach this delicately. “How your ex treated you?” She paused until it dawned on me what she meant. “I was just wondering if you’ve had anyone check on your…injuries.”

I couldn’t help but feel touched at someone actually asking about that. “No, he’d never let anyone else see me like that. He’d leave me alone to tend to myself.”

Claire shook her head in disgust. “I’m hating this asshole more and more.”

I let out a surprised laugh, never having had the courage to say such a thing myself.

“Me too.” It felt liberating to allow myself to admit that much at the very least.

Claire offered me her hand with a sincere smile. “Come on. I want to give you a check up, it’ll ease my mind.”

I could feel those damn tears coming up again in gratitude for this incredible offer of kindness.  _ **How could I possibly refuse such a generous offer?**_  I grabbed her hand and rose up from my seat. “Lead the way, Doc.”

“Technically I’m a nurse, but I’m not going to stop you from calling me that.” Claire smirked.

I let out a laugh. “Then Doc, you shall be.”

I proceeded walking towards the hospital entrance with my new friend.

Once more, I wasn’t aware of the secret third person keeping a close watch from above; and had been listening to the entire conversation.

* * *

##  _Matt_

Matt stood on the roof of the hospital speechless; his body stiff and his fists clenched tightly to the point they were shaking.  His usual vision of the world on fire burned even hotter and redder. He waited until Iris and Claire were inside the hospital before he grabbed an abandoned empty beer bottle and hurled it aggressively against the wall as he let out a yell of rage.  

Oh how he wished the bottle was the face of the asshole who dared laid his hands on the woman he’s fallen for.  

**_Oh God, Iris. What did that bastard do to you? What monster could look at your sweet face and still have the nerve to hurt you like that? You’ve been through so much for so long. You didn’t deserve to suffer in that Hell. You deserve to be cherished and loved, and protected._**   He thought as he loosened his tie and tried to control his heavy breathing.

Oh how Matt wanted more than anything to hold Iris in his arms and protect her from anything and anyone that wanted to harm her.

He knew that she was running away from something, but he never thought she’d be running and hiding from the one man who was supposed to love and protect her for the rest of their lives together.  

His blood froze as he remembered one detail she mentioned.  _“Three years. Seven months. Six days.”_  Iris is only 23. She got married when she was only 19, 20 at the most. She was just a  _kid_ , young, naive, and in love. Too young and naive to realize who she agreed to spend the rest of her life with before it was too late. She had sounded somewhat older than her actual age in the few times Matt has spent with her.

Suffering at the hands of that pig forced her to grow up too fast.

**_God, Iris. You were so young, and small and fragile, you must’ve been terrified. You’re still so young, and you’ve survived this whole time. You’re so much stronger than you think, sweetheart._ **

Matt’s heart broke for Iris as he listened to the still vague details of her past being told with years of pain in her voice; and his blood boiled with an unspeakable rage towards the man responsible for that pain.

It took all of his self control to not burst into Iris’s apartment the moment he heard her scream last night from the other side of the city. Her heart had been beating out of control, causing his heart to beat in sync with hers as he rushed back to their building to check on her. Each sob she let out caused him more pain than being stabbed  _ever_  did. She wasn’t the only one who lost sleep last night.

Matt didn’t expect to feel this strongly for anyone, but that all changed when the adorable girl next door with an enthusiastic love for music charmed her way into his heart in the span of a week without even meaning to.  She managed to ignite a light in his life he didn’t think he deserved to have; and he’ll be damned if he let some worthless abusive asshole hurt her any more than he already did.

It didn’t matter to Matt whether or not he and Iris would ever get together; he swore right then and there that he was going to protect her no matter what.

He hoped Iris was going to take Claire’s advice and talk to him.  He wanted her to trust him enough to tell him the full story, but it’s her choice to do so, and he wasn’t going to force it from her.  She deserved better than that.

Until then, he’s going to continue watching over her and making sure she was safe. If only he could protect her from her nightmares and memories. The thought of what she could’ve possibly dreamed about last night made him sick to his stomach and made him shake with rage towards the man who’s caused her suffering.

He needed to let out his aggression.

Feeling hesitant at first at the thought of leaving Iris alone unprotected, Matt reasoned with himself that she’s safe with Claire for the time being.

With that resolve, he leapt across to the next building, and made his way towards the church, all the while he kept a vigilant ear out for Iris.

Some guidance from Father Lantom was in order; but first, he was going to make great use of that punching bag they kept downstairs.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt knows! I’ve been looking forward to this chapter and that scene with Iris and Claire since I started this fic! So a lot more has been revealed about Iris, but still not the full story, but ALL will be revealed very soon! I hope I did Matt’s POV justice, this is a much darker side to him that I haven’t fully explored in this story yet, but I hope I did him right. He has so much anger, but the first and most important thing in his mind is Iris and keeping her safe. God I love this man. Well, that’s all for now. Thank you so much for reading, don’t forget to subscribe and PLEASE leave comments! They really make my day and I love hearing what you guys think. Until next time! *Kiss noise*


	7. Reach Out, I'll Be There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii guys! Sorry for the long ass wait! School was kicking my ass, but I’m on summer break for a month now so YAY! And I’m back with a nice long chapter for you and man are you guys in for a ride! Without further delay.....Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Reach Out, I’ll Be There**

The men of  _ Nelson & Murdock  _ were both on missions today. While Matt was following Iris to make sure she was safe, Foggy took that opportunity to stop by  _ Sweet Heaven  _ to see a certain stunning brunette he might or might not have already told his mom about. 

 

Foggy Nelson has done his fair share of chasing after women he was attracted to throughout his life, though admittedly not all of those times were successful since beautiful women seemed to flock towards Matt instead. But the moment he laid eyes on Lucy Addams, all those memories of women he chased in the past had erased from his mind. He only had eyes for Lucy, and it appeared the feeling was mutual. 

 

He couldn’t even begin to explain this feeling he had in his heart that was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Why so sudden for someone he just met? Love at first sight couldn’t possibly exist, right? And with that, Foggy’s heart argued,  **_Why the hell not? Would that really be so wrong?_ **

 

Whether or not it was love or just attraction, Foggy was determined to get to know the dark haired goddess who runs the adorable bakery that’s quickly becoming his favorite spot.  

 

Which has lead to the present moment where Foggy was currently standing outside of the bakery, seeing the woman of his dreams handing out cupcakes to a couple of excited little kids while their parents paid. Seeing her interact with the kids with a genuine glowing smile on her face made the butterflies in Foggy’s stomach flutter like crazy.

 

As if feeling his eyes on her, Lucy’s eyes shifted until they met his through the window. Her grey eyes brightened to greyish blue as she brightly grinned at him and waved for him to come in.  Foggy couldn’t contain the grin on his face that shined brighter than the sun as his cheeks flushed into a rosy pink. Foggy quickly pulled out his phone to leave Matt a message telling him to meet him at the bakery to talk about a potential client instead of the office. He smoothed back his hair and straightened his tie before entering the bakery to see about a girl.

* * *

 

_ 2 Hours Later _

The bakery was empty aside from Foggy and Lucy currently occupying one of the small tables. There laid two half empty porcelain mugs of coffee and hot chocolate as well as an array of different pastries and cakes for Foggy to “sample”, only for him to split between them, always giving Lucy the bigger half. 

 

But those desserts were ignored as the two occupants only had their attention focused on each other, the song  _ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”  _ by Frankie Valli playing appropriately in the background. 

 

“What’s your favorite show?” Lucy asked with eager curiosity as she leaned closer to him with a dreamy gaze in her eyes. 

 

Without missing a beat, Foggy replied “ _ I Love Lucy. _ ” It took him a second to snap out of his daze to realize how that might sound. “I mean, not because it’s  _ your name, _ ” he cleared his throat, his face flushing tomato red. “It’s just a great show! My mom had me watch it with her growing up, you’d love her by the way, I already told her about you- I mean, it’s a funny show!” Foggy was trying so hard to save face, he didn’t realize he was babbling. 

 

The melodic sound of Lucy’s giggles stopped him from babbling any further. Foggy felt incredibly embarrassed by his word vomit, but all Lucy did was smile. 

 

“You’re really cute when you get all flustered.” She told him, causing him to blush even harder. “And I  _ love  _ that show. She’s hilarious! And by the way…” She trailed off as she leaned toward him even closer. “I would love to meet your mother, since she’s raised such a  _ fine  _ young man.” She gave a flirtatious wink. 

 

_ I love you baby _ __   
_ And if it's quite alright _ __   
_ I need you baby _ __   
_ To warm the lonely nights _ __   
_ I love you baby _ _   
_ __ Trust in me when I say

 

_ Oh pretty baby _ __   
_ Don't bring me down I pray _ __   
_ Oh pretty baby _ __   
_ Now that I've found you stay _ __   
_ And let me love you, baby _ _   
_ __ Let me love you

 

Foggy’s heart raced as the song declared everything he was already dying to say. He took a big gulp of his warm coffee before quickly asking her, “So what’s  _ your  _ favorite show?”

 

“ _ The Addams Family. _ ” Lucy replied with a smile. 

 

“Really?” Foggy asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. 

 

She gingerly nodded. “Yep! I’ve always loved the dark, creepy and kooky stuff. And since my last name also happens to be Addams, I always imagined that I was related to them.” Lucy’s cheeks turned into a light rosy pink. “I love  _ The Munsters _ too, but  _ Addams Family  _ has always had a special place in my heart.” Lucy’s eyes locked with Foggy as she reached for his hand before she continued, “Plus, I’ve always dreamed of having a love like Gomez and Morticia.”

 

**_Oh god, me too. Please let me be your Gomez!_ ** Foggy thought. 

 

Before he could respond, however, the bell rang as the door opened. Foggy turned to see who rudely interrupted his time with Lucy, only to see Matt enter the bakery. 

 

“Matt, so nice of you to join us.” Foggy greeted, his mood dampening slightly. 

 

“Don’t sound  _ too  _ excited to see me, Foggy.” Matt sarcastically replied as he took the seat Lucy led him to at their table. 

 

Foggy could see how visibly tense his friend was as he took a good look at him. His body was straight and tiff from tension, his fists tightening then loosening up. Foggy looked closer at Matt’s fists, noticing the knuckles were red with angry scrapes from punching something...or  _ someone.  _

 

“Holy shit, Matt! Did you get in a fight?” Foggy exclaimed in concern.  Lucy saw Matt’s fists and rushed to the back room. 

 

“No, I didn’t get in a fight.” Matt replied through clenched teeth. “I just needed to blow off some steam, and the punching bag was the best option.”

 

“Well I’m glad it’s just a punching bag and not a person.” Lucy said as she returned to the table with a first aid kit. “It’s a little too early in the day for you to be doing your  _ Daredevil  _ thing.”

 

Matt’s stomach dropped at Lucy’s words. His fists clenched even tighter as he addressed his best friend. “Foggy?”

 

“What?” Foggy shrugged defensively. “I can’t start a relationship based on lies! Besides, she’s cool. We can trust her.”

 

“What the fuck, Foggy?!” Matt snapped, thankful that the bakery was still empty. “You told a  _ dangerous  _ secret to some woman you just met?!” Lucy’s grip tightened on Matt’s hand as she continued treating it. “No offense, Lucy.”  He muttered apologetically. 

 

Foggy, on the other hand, took great offense to Matt. “First of all, watch your language in front of this beautiful lady,” He angrily pointed out. “Second, we may have ‘just met’, but I’ve  _ already  _ named our future children!  And I know for a fact that Foggy Jr. and Lucy Jr. would appreciate total honesty in this family!” He finished with a pound of his fist atop the table. 

 

The bakery went silent. Matt’s lips twitched while he tried to keep his angered expression. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t meant to last as he let out and amused snort. 

 

Lucy didn’t bother hiding her giggles, she found the blonde teddy bear so adorable and endearing. 

 

Foggy looked confused as to what was so funny. “What?”

 

Matt couldn’t hold it in anymore, he let out a belly laugh, “Foggy, you make it really hard to stay mad at you.”

 

Foggy still looked clueless until Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder affectionately, still giggling, “Foggy, you are too precious for words, but let’s hold off on baby names until we’ve had our first date at least.” She finishes with a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush into a bright tomato. 

 

Before Foggy could think of how to respond, the bell chimed as a few customers entered the bakery. Lucy quickly rose from her seat to assist the customers, her fingers softly grazed through Foggy’s blonde hair as she passed by. 

 

Matt smiled, knowing his best friend kept his “heart eyes” (as Iris called them) on the enchanting baker that’s captured his heart. 

 

“You must really like her a lot if you trust her with this kind of information.” Matt spoke quietly, sounding more calm and understanding. 

 

Foggy’s eyes turned downcast in guilt before facing Matt again. “I’m really sorry, Matt. You  _ know _ I wouldn’t announce it to the world, or tell just  _ anyone. _ ”

 

He paused to gaze at Lucy, who was chatting with a middle aged couple while showing them her delicious creations. He felt his heart practically dancing when her eyes shifted towards him and she gave a blushing radiant smile. 

 

“I’m in love with her.”  Foggy continued softly, not realizing he voiced his feelings out loud; his eyes still on Lucy. “I’ve never felt this way about  _ anyone _ before, man. I know it’s crazy and it’s sudden, I mean we’d only met  _ yesterday _ ! But the moment I saw her, it just hit me like I got punched with lightning or something. I know this feeling I have is real. I mean, sometimes you just  _ know  _ as soon as it hits you, you know?”

 

“Yeah.” Matt softly replied in complete understanding. “I know  _ exactly  _ how you feel.” 

 

Foggy’s eyes widened as he snapped out of his love daze. “Oh shit, how  _ is _ Iris? Is she okay?!” Foggy didn’t notice his voice had raised in alarm, catching the attention of the two remaining customers in the bakery. 

 

“I would  _ also _ like to know how Iris is doing, Matt.” Lucy chimed in as she walked towards the middle aged couple to deliver their treats. 

 

Matt hesitated, “It’s...a little personal. Actually it’s  _ extremely  _ personal...and..disturbing.”  He finished with a strained angry grimace. 

 

Foggy’s eyes narrowed in concern as he leaned towards his friend. “What’s wrong? She  _ is  _ in trouble, isn’t she?” He asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

Lucy rushed to their table and yanked back the chair next to Foggy to take a seat. “What’s going on with my best friend, Matt?” She asked, sounding more serious and intimidating than either of the two men have heard yet. 

 

Matt, while touched by their concern, was still hesitant. “I don’t know if I should really say. It’s bad enough that  _ I  _ know when she hasn’t actually told me herself. It’s..” Matt felt his throat tighten and his eyes dampen at how painful it was to hear everything Iris had said. “It’s  _ horrible. _ ”

 

Foggy and Lucy stiffened at Matt’s words, trying to imagine what it was that Matt knew. 

 

“Matt, we care about Iris, too.” Lucy replied. 

 

Foggy fervently agreed. “Seriously, man. I’ve only known Iris for a day and a half, but if  _ anything _ happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself!” 

 

Foggy didn’t realize how loud his voice carried until he heard how silent the bakery got. The middle aged couple clearly heard Foggy’s passionate statement, because without a second thought, they jumped out of their seats and bolted out the door. 

 

Matt, Foggy and Lucy were alone once more. 

 

Foggy bashfully asked, “Do you think they heard me?”

 

Matt’s eyebrows raised in perplexity while Lucy let out a soft chuckle.

 

“Yeah, sweetie. I think they did.” She said with a pat on his head. 

 

Foggy shrugged, “Well, I said what I said. But that’s not important right now.” He leaned towards Matt once more. “Please tell us. We want to help Iris, too.”  

 

Matt sat quietly, contemplating his decision before faintly replying, “Okay.”

* * *

 

_ Iris _

Claire’s impromptu checkup was relatively quick and painless. I cringed at her sympathetic gaze as she examined all the bruises and scars on my body, I felt embarrassed that she saw the extent of what he had done to me. She was considerate enough to not dwell on it, for now anyway. She did, however, diagnose the bruised ribs I didn’t realize I had. That explains why that hideous bruise on my torso hasn’t healed yet. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about that, except to take it easy and let it heal naturally, which will apparently take six weeks at the most. 

 

After the exam was over, Claire gave me a prescription for some pain relief and antibiotics, as well as demanding I get some sleep. 

 

After promising Claire I would rest on the condition that she stopped by the bakery for any treat on the house, I hugged her goodbye and exited the hospital. 

 

I still wasn’t ready to go home yet. Not only out of fear of the lingering nightmares, but also out of fear of facing Matt. Despite Claire’s reassuring words, I still felt doubtful about whether or not he’ll want anything to do with me.  I still can’t get over the crushed look on his face when I walked away from him. But maybe Claire’s right. I should just swallow my pride and talk to him. I owe him that much. 

 

I snapped out of my inner thoughts and paused in my aimless wandering when I heard music in the air. I turned to the right of me, in the direction the music came from, and saw the tall building with the red neon sign in the shape of a guitar that read  _ Guitar Center _ . 

 

My fingers twitched with an aching need that I’ve repressed for far too long, my feet made the decision for me and led me inside the music store. 

 

A wave of euphoria flowed through me as I took in the view of various instruments as far as the eye can see.  The sound of live instruments playing sounding more and more prominent. 

 

I walked further into the store towards the music until I found a small group of three guys and a young woman just lounging around. They all had a unique style, mix of rock & roll edge with a wild and colorful bohemian flair. The choices of instruments were oddly mismatched. The woman, who had a rockabilly style, was on her feet playing an upright bass, one guy was playing the violin, the second was playing an acoustic guitar, and the third guy sat on the floor playing a tambourine with drum sticks like it was a mini drum set. This was such an odd and fascinating mix of musicians, I couldn’t help but be drawn to them. 

 

My eyes drifted past them and landed on a beautiful red upright piano. My fingers twitched with the urge to play. Should I? It’s been so long since I’ve touched a piano, I was afraid that I would be so rusty that I really  _ would _ sound as mediocre as  _ he  _ always said I did. 

 

**_Well He was an asshole who didn’t want you to enjoy anything that didn’t involve him. Play the damn piano. It’s been too long since we’ve done anything we were passionate about. We deserve this._ ** **You** **_deserve this!_ **

 

My feet obeyed my thoughts quicker than I did as I now found myself seated in front of the piano. I barely noticed the quirky musicians go quiet next to me, all I could really hear was my heartbeat thumping in my ears. My hands trembled as I delicately caressed the keys, saying hello to an old friend. 

 

Without any more hesitation, my muscle memory kicked in as I played the beginning notes of the first song my mom taught me. I started slowly at first, then my fingers sped up as the song began to build up. I could faintly hear the jingles of the tambourine, and it was quickly followed by the instruments of the musicians next to me. One of the musicians started singing, the lyrics confirming that they were playing my song alongside me. 

 

_ She comes in colors everywhere _

_ She combs her hair _

_ She's like a rainbow _

_ Coming, colors in the air _

_ Oh, everywhere _

_ She comes in colors _

 

I looked over my shoulder towards the quirky group. The man with the guitar, who had his long hair tied back and wore a red Hawaiian shirt with black jean, met my eyes and nodded with a smile, signaling me to continue playing.  

 

My heart was dancing as I played on, my confidence growing more and more. I didn’t even bother holding back the beaming smile from my face, as I played the music box-sounding notes on the keys. My eyes began to mist from the pure joy of doing something I thought I’d never be allowed to do again.  I continued playing, with an energy and passion that have waited years to be reawakened. 

 

_ Have you seen her dressed in blue? _

_ See the sky in front of you _

_ And her face is like a sail _

_ Speck of white so fair and pale _

_ Have you seen a lady fairer? _

 

_ She comes in colors ev'rywhere _

_ She combs her hair _

_ She's like a rainbow _

_ Coming, colors in the air _

_ Oh, everywhere _

_ She comes in colors _

 

Oh how I wish Mom was here with me, she would’ve loved to hear me play her favorite song again. 

 

_ Have you seen her all in gold? _

_ Like a queen in days of old _

_ She shoots colors all around _

_ Like a sunset going down _

_ Have you seen a lady fairer? _

 

_ She comes in colors ev'rywhere _

_ She combs her hair _

_ She's like a rainbow _

_ Coming, colors in the air _

_ Oh, everywhere _

_ She comes in colors _

 

I wish Matt was here too. Would he like hearing me play? Would he say he loved it? Would he ask me to play more? Would he want to sit beside me as I played? Oh how I wished I knew for sure. 

 

_ She's like a rainbow _

_ Coming, colors in the air _

_ Oh, everywhere _

_ She comes in colors _

 

The room went quiet as the final notes faded in the air. The quiet didn’t last long, though, as a few patrons of the store had started applauding; I didn’t even realize we had actually drawn an audience.  My face heated up, my cheeks flushed bright red amongst my pale skin. It’s been so long since I’ve played in front of everyone, I forgot how amazing it felt to get a positive response. 

 

The musicians that accompanied me nodded with approval at me, and that simple gesture warmed my heart with a sense of belonging. 

 

The tambourine man, who wore heavy eyeliner and a wildly colorful abstract shirt with leather pants, stood up to sit next to me on the bench and eagerly asked, “Play us another song, darling?”

 

I hesitated for a second, not used to getting such a request. “I’m not sure what you would like to hear.” I replied meekly. 

 

“Anything you want.” The violinist replied. He wore black and white striped pants with a fitted pink and blue paisley buttoned shirt topped with a black bow tie and a black vest. “Just start playing and we’ll follow along.”

 

My brows furrowed in concern, “What if you don’t know the song?”

 

“We don’t need to,” The guitarist spoke up. “We just let the music guide us through.”

 

The pinup bassist sweetly chimed in, “That’s how we always play, so don’t even worry about that, dollface. Play us something.”

 

I took a second to think over what other songs I knew before I started playing with my musical acquaintances for the next couple of hours. 

After we were done playing together in the music store, my new friends dragged me along with them to an indie record store that also had a small cafe inside.

* * *

 

 

I easily lost track of time, I was too caught up in my new friends; the sun had already set by the time we had all parted ways. I left the record store with a bag full of new CDs, a chocolate chip muffin for the walk home, four new phone numbers added on my phone, and a smile of contentment on my face.

 

Claire was right. I wasn’t alone in this anymore. I don’t  _ have  _ to be. 

 

My thoughts drifted back to Matt. The thought of telling him the truth terrified me still. I want so badly to let him in, but I can’t help but let that shred of doubt nudge it’s way into my mind. 

 

**_Can he accept me completely? Will he judge me for what I’ve done? Will he hate me for lying? Or will he still want to help me?_ **

 

I was too lost in my thoughts, I wasn’t alert enough to notice I was being watched, and also being followed. 

 

I felt a hand grab my arm in a painful grip as I was yanked into a dark alley, a second hand covered my mouth before I had a chance to scream for help. 

 

**_Oh god. He found me! How the hell did he find me?! He’s gonna kill me before I can even tell Matt how sorry I am. I didn’t even get to see Mom. I wish I had actually spoken to her-_ **

 

My thoughts were cut off when an unfamiliar voice growled from my captor. “Give me your money  _ now _ , and you won’t get hurt.”

 

**_Oh thank god, it’s only a mugger!_** My body sagged in relief. 

 

The man then held a knife against my throat, causing me to stiffen up again.  **_Oh shit, it’s a mugger!_ **

 

I started to panic as I struggled to get out of his grasp, biting hard into his hand in the process. 

 

The mugger growled in anger as he moved his now free hand into my hair, yanking it to the point where I feared it would be pulled out of my scalp. 

 

“You fuckin bitch!” He sneered as he shoved my face against the wall. 

 

I was hyperventilating at this point, unable to hold back the tears that flowed down my face. “Please let me go! I don’t have any money!” I pleaded desperately. 

 

The mugger then pressed himself against my back, pressing his groin into my back.

 

“Then I’m just gonna have to get something else from you, huh?” He replied as he licked my ear, my body shivered in fear and disgust. 

 

Then suddenly the pressure from his body was lifted abruptly as he was pulled off me and thrown against the wall. 

 

I quickly turned around and was staring in stunned silence as I saw my mugger getting his ass handed to him by a mysterious man dressed in head to toe black. The man in black moved with speed and grace as he punched and kicked the mugger around like a ninja. The mugger tried to get some hits in, but he never stood a chance. The man in black hurled him against the wall, landing a foot away from me. 

 

I shrieked in surprise as the mugger grabbed my ankle.  I kicked and stomped repeatedly on his wrist, but he wouldn’t budge. The man in black rushed to my aid and pulled the mugger away from me. He let out a growl of anger as he threw him against the opposite wall. 

 

“Keep your hands off of her!” The man in black threatened, his voice low and deep with rage, sending thrilling shivers down my spine. 

 

He knocked the mugger out with one last anger-fueled punch, causing said mugger to collapse like a jenga tower.  He squatted down towards the mugger and proceeded to restrain his hands and feet, causing the mugger to start twitching back into consciousness, prompting the man in black to deliver one more knockout punch to the face. 

 

My breathing slowed down as he stood up and turned to face me. My heart started to beat faster as he started walking tentatively towards me.  I took in his full appearance before me. He stood almost a foot taller than me, his fitted black outfit did nothing to hide his muscular build that my eyes struggled to stray from.  The top half of his face was covered by the thick black fabric that tied around his head, leaving the bottom half visible; which of course drew my attention to those perfect full lips of his.  

 

Perfect full lips that started speaking. 

 

“Are you okay?” His deep voice was gentle with concern. 

 

I shakily nodded, taking a deep breath as I replied. “I am, thanks to you.”

 

He tilted his head as his hand reached toward the side of my face that had been shoved against the wall.  Even though his hand was gloved in thick material, my cheek came alive with a spark of electricity at his gentle touch. 

 

“Are you hurt?” He asked with genuine concern. 

 

My heart skipped a beat as his kindness reminded me of a certain neighbor, causing my eyes to water. “No, I’m fine.” I replied. 

 

His head tilted once more as he asked with uncertainty. “Are you sure? He made you hit that wall pretty hard.” His thumb gave gentle featherlight caresses across my newly bruised cheek. 

 

I gave a shrug and replied tensely, “I’ve had worse.”

 

His whole body stiffened at my answer, he was close enough for me to hear him grind his teeth. I could just barely hear him mutter angrily under his breath, “I know.”

 

My brows wrinkled in confusion at what he could have meant by that. Before I could question him, though, he slowly began to step away from me, his lingering fingers grazing my cheek until he dropped his hand completely. 

 

“You should go home.” He declared when he stood an extra couple feet away from me. “And be careful. The city’s dangerous at this time of night.”

 

“Okay.” I readily agreed. He started to turn around to walk away, prompting me to call out, “Hey!”

 

He abruptly stopped in his tracks, tilting his head once more to patiently listen.  

 

“Thank you.  You saved my life.” I finished, my voice heavy with gratitude. 

 

I could just barely see the side of his mouth rise into a small smile as he replied, “You’re welcome. Please be safe.” 

 

And with that, he disappeared into the shadows.  I didn’t waste another second to bolt out of the alley and rush home. 

I finally made it back to the familiar apartment building and didn’t stop running until I made it safely inside the elevator.  Now that I had stopped and taken a breath, I began to feel the lead weight my legs had become; along with the exhaustion from lack of sleep and the series of events from this long day hitting me all at once. I  _ definitely  _ needed to go to sleep. 

 

I got off the elevator on my floor and tiredly stumbled to my door. Before I unlocked it, I turned my attention towards Matt’s apartment. My run in with the mugger gave me a serious wake up call. I can’t keep wasting time being miserable and alone like this. I need to talk to Matt and tell him the truth, or forever wish I did. But not tonight. Not when I already felt dead on my feet. Tomorrow. I’ll tell him first thing tomorrow. 

 

With my decision set in my mind, I entered my apartment and locked the door before I stumbled to my bed and finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

 

I woke up the next morning feeling far more rested than the day before. I slept so heavily, I couldn’t even remember if I dreamed, much to my relief. I got up to brush my teeth and get dressed for the day, but not before texting Lucy to let her know I needed an extra day off, which she happily replied was no problem at all. 

 

I could feel my stomach twist and tangle in anxiety at how this conversation with Matt can possibly turn out; I was ready to throw up. I was determined, but still terrified to tell him everything. I hate how scared I am about this. Matt has been nothing but sweet to me, I should feel comfortable enough to talk to him. But with the way I’ve acted towards him, and the weight of my secret, will he even  _ want  _ anything to do with me again?

 

My thoughts were interrupted by music playing muffled through the wall connecting my apartment to Matt’s. It was the beginning notes to The Four Tops’  _ “Reach Out I’ll Be There”, _ as if he knew what was going through my mind

 

_ Now if you feel that you can't go on (can't go on) _

_ Because all of your hope is gone (all your hope is gone) _

_ And your life is filled with much confusion (much confusion) _

_ Until happiness is just an illusion (happiness is just an illusion) _

_ And your world around is crumbling down, darlin' _

 

_ (Reach out) Come on girl reach on out for me _

_ (Reach out) Reach out for me _

_ Hah, I'll be there with a love that will shelter you _

_ I'll be there with a love that will see you through _

 

My eye started tearing up again as I paid attention to the lyrics. Was Matt trying to tell me something through this song, or am I just reading too much into it?

 

_ When you feel lost and about to give up (to give up) _

_ 'Cause your best just ain't good enough (just ain't good enough) _

_ And your feel the world has grown cold (has grown cold) _

_ And your drifting out all on your own (drifting out on your own) _

_ And you need a hand to hold, darlin' _

 

_ (Reach out) Come on girl, reach out for me _

_ (Reach out) Reach out for me _

_ Hah, I'll be there to love and comfort you _

_ And I'll be there to cherish and care for you _

 

_ (I'll be there to always see you through) _

_ (I'll be there to love and comfort you) _

 

My heart was beating uncontrollably, my skin riddled with goosebumps. Matt doesn’t usually play music out loud, and now he plays this song. He was definitely telling me something, and the song couldn’t spell it out anymore clearly. 

 

_ I can tell the way you hang your head (hang your head) _

_ You're not in love now, now you're afraid (you're afraid) _

_ And through your tears you look around (look around) _

_ But there's no peace of mind to be found (no peace of mind to be found) _

_ I know what your thinking _

_ You're a loner, no love of your own, but darling _

 

_ (Reach out) Come on girl reach out for me _

_ Reach out, just look over your shoulder _

_ I'll be there to give you all the love you need _

_ And I'll be there you can always depend on me _

_ I'll be there _

_ Don’t worry  _

 

More determined than ever, I finished getting dressed and bolted out the door, and walked straight to Matt’s door. 

 

My palms began to sweat, but I forced myself to stay strong as I rose my hand up and knocked on the door. The footsteps I could hear coming towards the other side of the door matched the heavy heartbeat within my chest.  The door opened revealing Matt, dressed in grey sweatpants with the ends tucked into his grey tube socks, a navy blue hoodie zipped up but revealing a peak of a white t-shirt, his hair combed back and slightly wet from the shower he must’ve just taken; and for the first time since I’ve met him, his eyes were free of his usual red sunglasses, revealing his deep soulful brown eyes. He looked more beautiful than ever, and it simply took my breath away. 

 

“Hi, Matt.” I spoke before I lost my nerve, keeping my focus on the task at hand. 

 

Matt’s perfect lips rose in a soft and sweet smile. “Hi, Iris. Are you okay?” He asked, being the sweet gentleman he is. 

 

“Yeah, I’m-” I started to automatically say before I cut myself off. Honesty. I have to start with honesty. I took a deep breath before I continued meekly, “No. I’m actually  _ not  _ okay. I haven’t been for a long time.” 

 

Matt frowned in concern and sympathy. I spoke up once more, “That’s actually why I came to see you. Can we talk? I mean, if I’m not taking up your time of course. I can always come back later if this isn’t a good time.”

 

Matt rushed to respond before I considered backing off, “You’re not taking up my time, I’d love to talk to you. Please come in.” He opened his door wider to welcome me inside. 

 

I stepped inside the apartment for the first time and noticed the space was almost identical to mine in terms of size, minimal amount of furniture as well. 

 

“Would you like anything to drink?” Matt asked, being a gracious host. “I don’t have much except for beer and water, or I can make some coffee if you’d like.”

 

I shook my head with a smile, “No thank you, I’m fine.”

 

He then directed me towards the couch in the center of the room and took a seat with enough space apart to face each other. My hands started shaking as I tried to figure out what to say first. I decided the best to start with was an apology. 

 

“I’m sorry.” I began as I shifted to face him. “For yesterday. The way I acted was inexcusable.”

 

Matt shook his head, “You don’t have to apologize, Iris.”

 

I fervently replied, “Yes I do. You’ve been nothing but kind and gentle to me, and I’ve been so terrible in comparison. You were so concerned about me and wanted to help me, and I repaid you by pushing you away and being so rude to you. You deserved better than that, and I’m so sorry, I’d understand if you didn’t want anything to do with me ever again. I wouldn’t want anything to do with me either-”

 

“Iris, stop.” He cut me off as he grabbed my hands in comfort. “I hate hearing you degrade yourself like that. You’re not a bad person. You’re a sweet and wonderful person, who has clearly been through something painful. And as long as you’ll let me, I’d really like to stay by your side more and help you in any way I can.”

 

My fingers gripped tightly to his hands, my eyes powerless to keep the oncoming tears at bay.  

 

I took another deep breath before I finally got to the point. “You were right.” I started. “I  _ am  _ in trouble. I  _ did  _ go through something painful. I…” 

 

Matt squeezed my hands slightly tighter in reassurance. “It’s okay, you can tell me.” He spoke with the utmost gentleness. 

 

I used that bit of encouragement to finally reach the point of no return. 

 

“His name is Paul.”  Matt cocked his head in curiosity before I continued. 

 

“My husband.” There it is. No turning back now. “He was hurting me. All the time.” My throat began to tighten at the memories. “At first he was so charming, sweet, loving. I thought he was so handsome and mysterious. He swept me off my feet instantly. Always doting on me, gave me gifts. I never really cared that he had money though, I just cared that he made me feel so loved, like I was all that mattered. When Mom had her stroke, I was devastated. It was just her and me, she was the only family I had left and I didn’t know how to take care of her. I was 20 years old, working minimum wage, I had no idea what to do. And Paul came in like a knight in shining armor. He paid for Mom to stay in one of the best nursing homes, he proposed to me and promised to move her in with us and provide a nurse to help me take care of her. He promised to make me so happy and loved.” I let out a scoff at my naïveté from back then. “I believed him of course. I married him in this big, expensive, show off ceremony he insisted we had to have. I was so in love and stupidly happy. I thought, ‘Life couldn’t possibly get any more perfect.’ And it didn’t.”

 

I looked away from Matt with a frown as I delved even further into the worst years of my life. “As soon as we came back from our honeymoon, everything changed. He had little obsessive compulsive quirks I didn’t know about before. The towels always had to hang perfectly neat and even on the rack. The cans in the cupboard had to be stacked neatly with the labels facing out. The house had to be completely spotless. The table had to be set appropriately. I learned the hard way how much he hated rules being forgotten.” 

 

Matt’s body tensed up and his hands started shaking over mine. I continued further. “You could probably guess that he never followed through on his promise to move my mom in with us. His reasoning was that he loved me so much that he wanted to keep me all for himself.” I shook my head in disgust. “That’s also the reason we never had kids. He hates kids and hates the idea of someone stealing my attention away from him even worse. He got a vasectomy a month before we got married.” I cleared my throat to swallow down the lump of tears in my throat. “He took away my mom, my chance of  _ being _ a mom, my music, my spirit. It didn’t take much to set him off and punish me as he saw fit. I was dying in there. He had been killing me slowly for three years.”

 

Matt’s voice cracked as he finally spoke up. “Oh god Iris, I’m so sorry.” He shifted a hand to intertwine our fingers together. “How did you get out of there?”

 

I knew he would ask me that.  This was the part I dreaded. “I tried calling the police. A lawyer too. They were no help whatsoever. The best they offered was a restraining order. As if that would keep him away.  I realized the only one who could help me was  _ me.  _ So I made the necessary arrangements I needed to make, and I escaped.”

 

Matt looked skeptical like he knew I wasn’t elaborating enough. “Is he looking for you?”

 

I shook my head, “No. He couldn’t possibly be looking for me. He has no idea what I did.”

 

His face scrunched in confusion. “That doesn’t make sense. How could he not be looking for you?  How could he not know you left?”

 

My heart was beating rapidly as I took a deeper breath and replied. 

 

“Because he thinks I’m dead.”

  
  
  
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd that’s chapter 7! Chapter 8 will come A LOT SOONER this time around and it’s gonna be a flashback chapter. It’s gonna be rough, so be ready. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I hope it was worth the wait. PLEASE comment what you thought of the chapter and be sure to subscribe so you can stay updated. Thanks for your patience, I love you all! Until next time…*kiss noise*


	8. Runaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to that fateful day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is Rated MATURE; it contains descriptive and graphic scenes of abuse. Please refrain from reading if this dark content bothers you. Proceed with caution
> 
> Hey guys! I’m back already with the new chapter, I was too excited to wait any longer!! I told you I’d update sooner, I keep my promises ;) Okay so this is it. The Chapter. This is the story y’all have been waiting to hear You’re gonna learn a lot about Iris, and I am again issuing the warning of the dark content in this chapter as stated above. I did mention before that it’s not gonna be pretty what happened to Iris, and I meant it. You’ve been warned. The song inspiration for this chapter and the chapter’s title is the song Runaway by Bon Jovi. And the song featured in the chapter is Dream of a Witches' Sabbath from Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. 
> 
> Enough of my rambling, on with the chapter!

Chapter 8: Runaway 

 

_10 Days Ago_

 

_It was a beautiful sunny afternoon on the beach, one of the rare days I had actual time to myself. Paul had left early this morning, work I’m assuming. Not that it really mattered to me, I got to pretend I truly had the place to myself for the majority of the day.  The house, though was suffocating beyond belief, so I spent that time outside near the water digging for clams to make for dinner tonight._

 

_I sat on the sand looking out into the ocean, feeling a moment of peace even though I was always terrified of the ocean, but I loved feeling the ocean breeze blow through my waist length blonde hair. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard someone walking towards me. Paul was home. My time of peace had ended._

 

_“Good afternoon, Princess.” Paul’s deep voice greeted me with a kindness I wished was real._

 

_I looked up at him with my practiced smile painted on my face as I looked over his three piece royal blue suit. “I love a man dressed for clamming.” I gently teased._

 

_He chuckled as he squatted down to my level. “I had to take care of some work in the office.” He then frowned in displeasure. “And on our vacation no less. Can you ever forgive me?”_

 

_Luckily that was one of the easiest things to forgive when it came to him. I simply smiled at him with a nod._

 

_“What do you think?” I asked, lifting up the heavy bucket filled to the brim with fresh clams. “I thought they’d be great for supper tonight. Cook them in some white wine, maybe toss it in some linguine?”_

 

_Paul frowned in discouragement. “I went out for clams for lunch after my meeting ended.” Paul hated eating the same food more than once on the same day. He shook his head in remorse.“And after all your hard work.”_   _He then_ _let out a dejecting shrug, “It’s okay. I’ll just have them again.” He rose up to leave for the house._

 

_I rushed to stand up and call out, “No, it’s okay!” He turned to face me. “I can just dig fresh ones up tomorrow!” I finished with a grin that hopefully was bright enough to show him I was happy to do it, and to ease the temper that was sure to rise if I didn’t accommodate him._

 

_It appeared to work as his face relaxed into a satisfied smile. Crisis averted._

 

_He strutted towards me until he stood right in front of me. His intimidating 6’1 frame towering over my 5’2._

 

_“I missed you this morning, Princess.” He said as he leaned down and claimed my lips in a kiss that once upon a time gave me butterflies._

 

_He pulled me into his arms and held me in a loving embrace. I closed my eyes for a second, dreaming that this side of him was real and constant. The tide hitting my feet reminded me I had spent the day in the sand and water. I abruptly pulled away and sure enough to my horror, I had gotten sand all over the front of Paul’s suit._

 

_“Oh no, look what I’ve done.” I said apologetically as I tried my hardest to wipe the offending sand off his expensive suit._

 

_Paul was surprisingly calm. “That’s alright. I was already going to change.” He replied as he held up my left hand to kiss my wedding ring. He turned and made his way to the house, wiping the sand off his suit along the way._

 

_I let my smile drop as I dumped the clams into the water, letting the tide drag them away.  I took a deep breath of the ocean air before I started my walk back to the house to find something new to make for dinner._

* * *

 

_I was in the kitchen prepping the food for dinner; I opened the cupboard to look for the garlic sea salt, and my stomach dropped when I noticed how unorganized the cans were. I’m sure Paul hadn’t noticed yet, I would have been told about it otherwise. I rose up on the tips of my toes and rushed to reorganize the cans, adjusting them to have the labels facing forward. It was a struggle to reach, but Paul doesn’t want me to have my legs on the counter.  I would’ve grabbed the stool, but then he definitely would have noticed my mistake, and I’ve managed to go all day without being punished so far._

 

_“What’s for supper?” I jumped at Paul’s voice that whispered in my ear right behind me._

 

_Luckily the cans were now organized and I found the garlic salt._

 

_He held me close from behind, I gave him a shaky smile as I replied, “Roast lamb seasoned in garlic and rosemary. With creamed spinach and brown butter radishes.”_

 

_“Sounds wonderful.” He stated with approval, his hands rubbing up and down my sides._

 

_“I was going to make that herb bread you like so much.” I finished with a compliant smile._ _Keep him happy. Just keep him happy._

 

_“I can hardly wait.” He replied, kissing me a kiss on my cheek._

 

_He pulled away and directed his attention outside where he saw a man outfitting a sailboat on the dock._

 

_“Looks like we got a new neighbor.” Paul said as he made his way out the door. “I’m going to say hi.”_

 

_I let out a breath of relief at the extra bit of time to myself and continued preparing our meal._

* * *

 

_Paul_

 

_“You must be our new next door neighbor!” Paul called out to the young man who was just stepping out of his boat._

 

_“Hi!” The young man replied with a smile. He walked towards Paul to shake his hand. “I’m Dr. Todd Bishop.”_

 

_“Paul Burney.” Paul replied with a firm handshake._

 

_Todd nodded his head at Paul’s house. “That beautiful glass mansion yours?”_

 

_Paul chuckled at the description, “It sure is.”_

 

_Todd smiled, “So that must’ve been your wife that was looking at me through the window today.  Beautiful wife and the best house on the beach. You’re a lucky man.”_

 

_Paul’s body stiffened, his smile more strained. “Yeah, that’s my Princess.” He clenched and unclenched his fists before he changed the subject, nodding at the sail boat. “That’s a beautiful racer you have.”_

 

_“Thanks! You a boating man too?” Todd asked._

 

_Paul shook his head. “No, I wish. I’ve always wanted a boat. I’ve always wanted to go sailing.”_

 

_“Wife got your balls in a vice, huh?” Todd asked, nudging at Paul in amusement._

 

_Paul narrowed his eyes at the neighbor. “No. My wife hates sailing. She’s terrified of the water. Nearly drowned when she was a child.”_

 

_Todd sobered up his amusement. “Oh man, I’m sorry.” He then perked up. “Hey, I’m sailing at around 7 tonight. I actually checked the weather for tonight, it’s supposed to be super calm and smooth out in the ocean. Great weather for sailing. It would be perfect for you and your wife to come join me and ease her into it.”_

 

_Paul, not willing to turn down the chance to do something he wanted, nodded in agreement. “Sounds great. I’ll press it to her gently.”_

 

_Paul then made his way back to the house to have a chat with his wife._

* * *

_Iris_

 

_I had the lamb in the oven, the radishes were chopped and ready to cook on the stove. I was mixing the cream for the spinach when I heard the door open, Paul was back._

 

_“I just spoke with our neighbor.” He started. I could feel his eyes burning into my back. “He’s a good looking man, the doctor.”_

 

_“Doctor?” I asked out of curiosity._

 

_“He said I have a beautiful house. ‘Best on the beach’.” Paul replied stiffly as I heard him walking towards me. The room went dead silent with tension. “When was he in here, Princess? This morning? While I was at work?”_

 

_My stomach twisted and my heart stopped at where I knew this was heading. I turned to face him._

 

_“Paul, sweetheart, I don’t know the doctor.” I replied, my voice shaky and my body trembling. It didn’t matter that I was telling the truth though._

 

_“Sure you do.” He replied, his voice low and deep with an underlying rage. “Young, handsome, outfitting his sailboat next door. Says you’ve been staring at him through the window all day.”_

 

_SMACK!_

 

_Nothing could’ve prepared me for the excessive force he put into his fist as he backhanded me. The impact causing me to scream as I was knocked down to the floor, spilling the cream mixture all over me and the floor. I bursted into tears as I felt the extreme pain in my temple._

 

_Paul looked down at me in disgust. His face twisted with rage. “Does it give you so much pleasure to humiliate me?!”_

 

_I shook my head no as I tried to control my tears. My crying only served to anger Paul even more._

 

_“STOP IT!!!” He roared as he then gave a harsh kick to my stomach, making me cry out even more._

 

_Paul looked down at his foot, his anger rising even more at seeing the spilt cream on his shoe._

 

_“NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” He yelled, kicking me once more._

 

_I made the mistake of hastily crawling away, or at least trying to. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it far._

 

_“Where do you think_ you’re _going, you little whore?!” He growled as he delivered a third kick to my stomach, making me collapse on my stomach._

 

_I was crying so hard, I thought I was going to throw up. Paul grabbed me by my hair and dragged me across the floor._

 

_“No! Paul please! I’m sorry!” I wailed and pleaded. My words were obscured by my hysterical crying._

 

_Paul didn’t listen, nor did he care.  He hurled me to the floor, letting go of my hair but had yanked some strands out of my scalp at the process. He grabbed my arm in a death grip and gave me a backhanded smack once more, this time cutting my lip from the impact of his ring._

 

_I curled into a ball, feeling broken and bruised. Paul started to calm down._

 

_“Now you’re going to sulk.” He calmly declared as he crouched down to my level._

 

_“No!” I weakly cried out, terrified he was going to start up again._

 

_“Yes you will.” He replied, almost taunting me._

 

_“No I won’t.” I sobbed, begging for him to not hurt me anymore._

 

_“Yes you will.” He said with false pity as he caressed my bruised and bloody face. “You’ll pout, and spoil our supper. Our beautiful supper.”_

 

_He gently sat me up and ironically tried to calm me down._

 

_“There, you’re okay. Can you smile for me?” He asked me, like he’s always asked me after these moments “Come on, give me a smile, Princess.” He cooed._

 

_I forced my lips to rise up in a pitiful excuse for a smile. It was enough to please Paul as he kissed my cheek._

 

_“I’m sorry.” Another one of his empty apologies. “Now, we’re going to join your doctor friend on his sailboat tonight.”_

 

_I stiffened in fear of going out in the ocean. Paul was quick to respond. “Now, now, I’ll have none of that, okay?” He spoke to me sternly like I was a child. “I know you’re afraid. What happened to you as a child was terrible. But we can’t spend the rest of our lives hiding from what we’re afraid of, now can we? We have to face our fears. And it’s about time you faced yours.  But don’t you worry, Princess. I’m going to be by your side the entire time. Okay?”_

 

_I stared blankly into nothing as I gave a shaky nod to please him._

 

_He smiled and kissed my cheek before he stood up to leave. “I’ll be back later.”_

 

_And I was alone once more._

 

_I numbly reached up to grab a hold of the counter to pull myself up. The pain from his kicks shot through my body instantly and caused me to stumble back to the floor. I allowed myself to break down into the sobbing mess Paul didn’t want to see._

 

_I wished Mom was here. I wanted her to hug me and protect me from Paul like how she protected me from the imaginary monsters that lived under my bed._

 

**_She can’t save you anymore. Nobody can. You’ve got to save yourself. Now wipe your tears and get up and do what needs to be done._ **

 

_I quickly composed myself and wiped my tears before I pulled myself up, ignoring the stabbing pain I felt in my body.  I proceeded to clean up the mess that was made, put together a new batch of cream for the spinach, and cleaned my wounds._

_While dinner was cooking, I took a moment to go outside while Paul was still gone. I walked out in front of the house where the row of lamp posts stood high above me. I bent down to grab a handful of pebbles and concentrated my aim on the two lamp posts that stood in front of the house._

_I held my breath as I threw the first rock and succeeded in breaking one lamp. One down, one to go. I threw the second rock. I missed. I held my breath once more as I hurled the third rock at the lamp, breaking the second lamp. I let out a sigh of relief and rushed back into the house. Paul should be home any minute._

* * *

 

_I was sitting on the couch looking out the window when I heard the door open and shut. I closed my eyes in dread knowing what was next._

 

_“Bonjour, Mon Amour.” Paul greeted lovingly as he came up behind me, presenting a bouquet of roses, even though he knew that daisies were my favorite flowers._

 

_“They’re beautiful.” I commented flatly without actually looking at them._

 

_He walked around to kneel in front of me, handing me a small gift wrapped boxed._

 

_“I’m sorry we quarreled.” He apologized. Just another one of his empty apologies for our ‘quarrels’._

 

_I said nothing as I unwrapped the gift. I opened the box, revealing a silky red slip dress._

 

_“If you don’t like it, I can return it.” Paul offered gently._

 

_“No, I do. I love it.” I replied with my practiced smile on my face._

 

_My response made a satisfied smile rise on his face. He held out his hand for me to take, pulling me off the couch and into his arms. I wrapped my arms loosely around him in an embrace; then I felt his hand unzip my white dress._

 

_I closed my eyes briefly, this was the part I always dreaded._

 

_He slid my dress down to the floor, leaving me in only my panties in the middle of the living room. He took the red slip from my hands and I held my arms up as he slid the silk material on me._

 

_“It’s not too early for this?” He asked as he rubbed his hands all over my silk restrained body, pulling me into a dominating kiss._

* * *

 

_The only sounds present in our bedroom was the music of that terrifying_ Symphonie Fantastique, _and Paul’s grunts as he’s vigorously thrusting into me._

 

_My eyes were shut tightly waiting for this to be over._

 

_Sex with Paul was sometimes more painful than being beaten. I never once had any pleasure from the act, he never cared to give me any. It not only hurt, it made me feel used and dirty._

 

_He bit into my shoulder as his violent thrusts sped up even faster, until he finally stopped and slumped over me, climaxing inside me. He lifted his head from my shoulder, I quickly curled my lips into a smile to show that he pleased me._

 

_I was just pleased that it was over._

 

_Paul rose up from the bed to take a shower, leaving me a few minutes of peace. I dropped the smile and reached for the sheet to wrap protectively around me, covering my shame. I gazed longingly out the window, praying tonight goes as planned._

* * *

 

_Paul was seated at the table on the patio overlooking the ocean as I arrived carrying our plates full of the dinner I prepared._

 

_As I sat down to eat, Paul’s eyes burned into me._

 

_“You want something.” He stated with a knowing smirk.  “I know my Princess. What is it?”_

 

_I cleared my throat before I responded. “Mrs. Roberts from the music store called me. She said they can use me Full Time now.”_

 

_Paul shook his head. “Out of the question. You already work three mornings a week, and I respected that. Especially since I know how much you love music. But what about our home? Don’t you love our home as much?” He asked, trying to make me feel guilty._

 

_I clenched my fists under the table as I innocently asked. “Has your dinner been late to the table even once?”_

 

_“Oh I remember a time it was late.” He replied with an accusing stare. “About two days.”_

 

_I let out a sigh of frustration. “That was six months ago, Paul. My mom was all I had. And I’ll never forgive myself for not bringing her here to live with us.”_

 

_He gave a comforting smile. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve always treated her with love.”_

 

_My voice cracked, “She_ died _, Paul. How could I not go to her funeral?”_

 

_“If you had told me, I would’ve taken you, and give me a chance to pay my last respects. But you sneaked off into the night.” He finished with a condescending sneer._

 

_“I didn’t sneak off.” I replied in defense._

 

_Paul spoke through gritted teeth. “Need I remind you how I worried?”_

 

_“No.” I snapped. “You reminded me enough the night I came back.”_

 

_That night left so many scars that would never fade._

 

_Paul stiffened. “You’re not suggesting I enjoyed that?”_

 

_I scoffed, feeling stupidly bold. “God, no. That would make you a monster.”_

 

_The tension in the air could be cut with a knife at that point._

 

_Paul let out a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to provoke another quarrel so you wouldn’t have to go sailing tonight. But that’s a conversation we’ll have later when we get back tonight.”_

 

_My blood went cold at the meaning behind those words. I had to force myself to eat at most half of what was on my plate._

 

**_Tonight._ **

* * *

 

_The sun was setting by the time I was dressed for sailing. I looked out at what I hoped would be my last sunset in this horrible place._

 

_I looked down at the small bronze sculpture of a woman playing the piano._

 

_“Remember our honeymoon?” Paul asked as he came up behind me. “I bought that for you. And I taught you how to dance.”_

 

_“Those were the happiest days of my whole life.” I replied on autopilot, the words as empty as I felt._

 

_Paul lifted up my hand to kiss my wedding ring. “We’ll always be together, Princess. Nothing will keep us apart.” He smiled. “Let’s go. It’s time.”_

 

**_It certainly is._ **

* * *

 

_Paul_

 

_What was supposed to be ‘perfect weather for sailing’ ended up being the complete opposite. It was one of the worst storms of the year so far._

 

_“I thought you said the weather was supposed to be calm!” I yelled over the harsh winds to Todd._

 

_“It was! I don’t know what happened!  Just a little squall I guess!” Todd replies._

 

_Paul looked over at his wife who was sitting at the rear of the boat, shaking head to toe in fear and grasping the railing like her life depended on it._

 

_“Don’t worry, Princess! Everything is going to be fine! Just hold on, okay?” He called out to her._

 

_She gave a shaky nod, holding the railing even tighter._

 

_The winds blew even harder, causing the rope to one of the sails to come loose._

 

_“Shit!” Todd yelled as he rushed over to the sail. He turned to Paul. “I need your help, man!”_

 

_“I’ll be right back, Princess!” Paul called out behind him as he ran from the helm to help Todd._

 

_The storm raged on even harder as the two men struggled to tie up the sail, causing the boat to rock harshly back and forth. The boat rocked so hard, it nearly tipped all the way over, causing Todd to almost fall overboard. Paul was quick to reach for him and were both able to remain aboard._

 

_They finally got the rope tied down tightly enough to keep it secure. Todd was checking the other ropes when Paul looked over to see how his wife was holding up._

 

_Only to find an empty space where she was sitting!_

 

_Paul’s stomach dropped. “Oh god NO!” He screamed as he rushed to the other side of the boat. “PRINCESS! BABY!!!”_

_He turned to Todd, crying out desperately, “SHE CAN’T SWIM!!!”_

 

_“Oh my god!” Todd replied filled with remorse for possibly being responsible._

 

_“We’ve got to find her! We’ve got to save her! I can’t lose her!!!” Paul yelled hysterically as he was about to jump in the water._

 

_Todd was quick to pull Paul back. “You can’t go in there! You’ll get sucked underneath! You wouldn’t be able to help her then! We’ll call the coast guard!” He reasoned with him._

 

_Paul knew Todd was right, but he went into hysterics. He hated not being in control, he hated being helpless. And now he’s possibly lost the woman he loved._

 

_With a desperate cry, praying his wife would hear him, he called out._

 

_“LILY!!!!!!!”_

* * *

 

_Iris_

 

_Ahead in the distance, far enough to where the boat was barely visible in the storm, I rose up from the water, now stripped down to my underwear, grabbing hold of the buoy as I took a much needed breath. I proceeded to start swimming my way back to the house._

 

_That was the night I died. And someone else was saved._

 

_Someone who was afraid of water, but learned to swim._

 

_Someone who knew there would be one moment where he wouldn’t be watching._

 

_Someone who knew the darkness of the broken lights would show the way._

 

_I swam with haste until I finally reached the shallow water of the beach in front of the house. I stumbled on the shore, my legs were so tired._

 

**_Now it’s Go time. Hurry up, we’re on borrowed time!_ **

 

_I rushed across the sand towards the house, but not before I stopped and yanked off my wedding ring. I immediately felt the dead weight lift off not only my hand, but my whole body. I didn’t spare it a second glance before I threw it into the ocean where it’ll be lost in the storm._

 

_I ran into the house and got to work. I grabbed the step stool in the linen closet, I opened the secret compartment that I had hidden behind the towels and pulled out my backpack that was stuffed with clothes and shoes, dry snacks, and the most important thing. $5,000 that I had spent years saving up; from doing odd jobs for the people at the YMCA on the day’s Paul thought I was working at the music store, and also from Mom._

 

_When I left for those two days to move her to the nursing home in New York, she gave me her jewelry to pawn for money at her insistence. She said she didn’t care about the jewelry, she just wanted me to get out of this awful life._

 

_I tucked the money back in the backpack and quickly got dressed. I ran to the bathroom and pulled out the scissors from the drawer. I took one last look at my old self before I grabbed my long hair and cut it above my shoulders._

 

_I flushed the hair down the toilet, making sure it all got sucked down the drain. I then grabbed a towel from the dirty clothes hamper and quickly wiped down all the wet footsteps I tracked through the house, wiping down any and all traces of me._

 

_Satisfied with my finished work, I threw on my new jacket, grabbed my backpack, and ran out the door. Leaving my personal Hell behind without a second glance._

 

_I walked through the ongoing storm to the closest bus station and bought my ticket for the next bus to New York._

* * *

 

_Present Day_

 

“And here I am. So now you know everything.” I finished, feeling more drained than I did yesterday.

 

The apartment was silent as Matt was processing everything I just told him.

 

I couldn’t get a good read on his face that was almost in a stone daze, I had no idea what was going on in that head of his. It was making me nervous the longer I waited.

 

“Matt?” I gently called to him. “Say something.”

 

He stayed silent.

 

The longer he stayed silent, the more nervous I got. I realized that my instinct was right. He was angry with me.

 

My vision went blurry with the tears that were threatening to shed. I tried to calm down my rapid heartbeat, but I was on the verge of a breakdown.

 

“I’m so sorry I lied to you.” My voice cracked with the sobs I was suppressing. “You have every right to be mad at me. I shouldn’t have told you, I _knew_ you were going to hate me for this. I was such a fuckin coward for doing what I did.”

 

I was in hysterics now, I jumped up from the couch and made a beeline to the door, not noticing Matt abruptly snap out of his daze.

 

“I shouldn’t have put all my stupid problems on you. I’ll stay out of your hair now. I won’t be a burden anymore.” I was sobbing at this point.

 

I opened the door to leave only to have Matt’s hand appear and quickly shut it. I turned to face him, feeling confused.

 

His face crumbled into a frown, his eyes shone with unshed tears as he pulled me gently into his arms and held me in a warm and comforting embrace. I was sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. He held me tighter as he rubbed his hand up and down my back, and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

 

“I don’t hate you.” Matt spoke softly, his lips lifting slightly from my head. “I could _never_ hate you. Least of all for _that._ I care about you more than you can ever know.”

 

I tightened my arms around him as he continued on. “You’re not a burden; you’re the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep.” My pulse was rising with each word he was saying. “I _am_ angry. But not at _you._ I’m angry at the bastard that was hurting you. He’s a shitty excuse for a man who has never deserved you.”

 

He pulled back to lean his forehead against mine, making our eyes meet. “And you’re _not_ a coward.” He lifted his hand to caress my cheek and wipe away my tears. “You are the bravest woman I have ever met. I know you’re scared, and you’ve been through what _nobody_ deserves to go through. But I promise you here and now, that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

 

My heart soared, it felt as if it was beating at record speed. I have no idea what I did to have this sweet, amazing man in my life, but I thank whatever god is up there for bringing him into my life.

 

I rose my small hands to his angelic face, I lifted my face up and leaned closer to his until our lips met in the purest and sweetest kiss I have ever had in my entire life.

 

We both let out a sigh of relief, as if we were breathing for the first time. It felt as if a huge weight lifted from my chest and I truly felt free.

 

I pulled away slightly, our lips just barely touching when I whispered. “You _already_ make me feel safe.”

 

Matt’s sightless eyes light up to a honey brown, his smile beaming even brighter. He then gave a light smirk as he pointed out. “You haven’t told me _everything_ , you know.”

 

I frowned, confused at what I could have possibly left out. To which he then finished. “Your name. Your _full_ name.”

 

I smiled as I replied. “Lily _Iris_ Williams.”

 

Matt beamed once more. “Lily is beautiful. But I like Iris even more.”

 

I gave a blushing smile in return. “Me too.”

 

He ran his fingers through my hair with one hand, and caressed my cheek with the other as he replied, “I’ll protect you.”

 

He gently pulled me in for another kiss, and I just knew in my heart that everything was going to be okay.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd that’s Chapter 8!!! I’m not gonna lie, I got emotional writing this chapter, I actually cried a bit. Iris is my baby, I love her so much! And it kills me to put her through this, but it had to be done. But yay for super happy ending for the chapter!!! I adore Matt like no other! Thank you so much for reading, I love y’all 3000! There’s plenty more story to tell, so be sure to subscribe and comment, tell me your thoughts on the reveal! I get so excited reading the few comments I get and I would super appreciate more, so please don’t be shy and PLEASE tell your friends to check it out too :) That’s all for now. Until next time…*kiss noise*


	9. Girls Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris and Lucy have a sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m BAAAAACK! I’m so sorry for taking forever to update, guys. I had so much going on; school and work back to back, I seriously get no days off! My aunt was in the hospital for a month, but she’s okay now. And I was also hit with the dreaded writers block. But I’m finally here with a new chapter, it’s a fun lengthy one, I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

**Chapter 9: Girls Night**

After our talk in Matt’s apartment, he walked me back to my place to rest, obviously noticing how drained the talk left me. With one more lingering, spine tingling kiss, he walked back to his apartment with the promise to “see” me later. 

 

I called Lucy to invite her to have a  sleepover with me. This day of honesty has encouraged me to want to open up to my new “best friend” as Lucy fondly titled herself. 

 

I slept the day away until a knock on the door woke me up. I reached for my phone to check the time. My eyes widened with disbelief at reading the large bright numbers on the screen. _6:15 PM_

 

 **_Holy shit that talk really_ ** **did** **_drain me!_ **

 

The knocking continued until I heard a familiar voice through the door. 

 

“Iris, open up! The strippers are getting restless!” Lucy yelled impatiently. 

 

I let out a snort of laughter as I made my way towards the door, opening it to reveal my quirky best friend wearing a yellow dress and carrying a green stuffed animal with little tentacles in its face. 

 

“Good evening, Miss. Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Cthulhu?” Lucy asked, sounding every bit like a missionary. 

 

“I was under the impression you brought strippers with you.” I replied, arching one brow up as I patiently waited for her response. 

 

“They got impatient and went back to Chippendales. Now you get Cthulhu.” She responded as she thrust the green stuffed Cthulhu doll into my hands. “He like praises, occasional human sacrifices, and cuddles.”

 

I giggled as I held the stuffed monster like a baby. “Thank you, I’ll do my best.” I opened the door wider for her, “You may enter if you dare.”

 

“Thank you, kind gentlewoman.” Lucy replied with a curtsy. She stepped inside carrying a medium sized overnight bag on her shoulder, but surprised me with the tall pink train case she rolled in behind her. 

 

“Please don’t tell me you have luggage for Cthulhu.” I pleaded, my brows furrowed in slight worry. 

 

Lucy was quick to respond. “Nope! I came prepared with some essentials.”

 

She unlocked each compartment of the large case and proceeded to open and separate the case. Each compartment, to my amazement, revealed an assortment of pastries and desserts from the bakery. The top compartment had a protective container filled with a variety of cupcakes; the second compartment held a wide selection of French macarons, truffles,and fruit tarts; and the third compartment held various cronuts, puff pastry treats, and dulce de leche cookies. 

 

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at all the sweets. “Holy shit, Luce! There’s no way we’re gonna finish all of this tonight!”

 

“Oh don’t be silly!” She replied as she started handing me the desserts to put in the fridge. “Some of this can be our breakfast too. Maybe you can even take some over to Matt.” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows at me with a smirk. 

 

I blushed at the thought of Matt, my lips still tingling from our kiss this morning. 

 

“And besides,” Lucy continued, interrupting my thoughts. “You haven’t seen the best part. Guaranteed to hype up that appetite.”

 

With that, she opened the bottom largest compartment. Revealing six bottles of Stella Rosa wine. 

 

“Three for you, three for me!” Lucy exclaimed in excitement as she pulled out the bottles and set them on the counter. 

 

“Holy shit.” I said, too speechless to say anything else. But then I realized to my dismay, “I don’t have a corkscrew.” 

 

Lucy, being the ultimate problem solver replied. “No worries, I have one on my keychain.” She held up said keychain in all its pink bedazzled glory. 

 

“Always prepared.” I spoke with admiration. 

 

“Never know when you’re gonna need it. My sister and I learned that in Girl Scouts.” Lucy replied as she uncorked one of the bottles. 

 

My eyebrows raised in surprise, “They taught you about corkscrews?”

 

“My mom was our scout leader, she insisted. But enough about that,” She thrust the open bottle to my hands as she opened a second bottle. “Let’s drink.”

 

“Shouldn’t we get some wine glasses?” I asked perplexed. 

 

Lucy scoffed. “Sweetie, please. We’re ladies. We drink straight from the bottle.” I let out a laugh as I put the rest of the bottles in the fridge to chill. “Now let’s sit down, drink up, and talk about what’s going on with you.”

 

We got to the couch, I took a healthy gulp of the wine and told her everything. 

 

 

She took it pretty well. 

 

 

“I’m gonna fuckin kill him.” Lucy growled as we both wiped our tears. “I’m gonna fly out to Miami, and kill him to death!”

 

I let out a snort of laughter. “How do you kill someone to death?”

 

“Oh there are ways.” Lucy was quick to reply. “I can get quite creative when the inspiration hits me.”

 

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” I chuckled. “But I just got away from him and I hate the idea of you being in the same room as him. What he did to me was horrible enough. The thought of him doing _anything_ to you or anyone else I care about terrifies me.” I felt a chill of fear go up my spine just saying it. 

 

Lucy frowned in sympathy and pulled me into a comforting embrace. “Hey now, get that thought out of your mind. He’s thousands of miles away back in Miami. We’re in New York. You changed your look, it’s a huge city, _and_ he thinks you’re dead. And most importantly, you’re not alone anymore. You have me, and two adorable kick ass lawyers that will fight for you. _Especially_ Matt.” Lucy finished with a wink. 

 

My cheeks reddened at the thought of my sweet, gorgeous neighbor. “That’s a pretty valid point.”

 

“Does he know?” Lucy asked. 

 

I nodded. “Yeah, I told him this morning before I called you.”

 

“How did he take it?”

 

I hesitated before I answered. “Better than I thought. At first, though, he was silent. I guess he was processing everything, but I was so sure he hated me.” Lucy looked confused before I elaborated. “For lying. For running away from my problems like a coward.”

 

“Oh sweetie, you’re _not_ a coward!” Lucy exclaimed, her eyes meeting mine. “You were being _abused_ , you were alone and scared! You said yourself that cops couldn’t help you. It would’ve gotten even worse the longer you stayed. You did what you _had_ to do, and on top of that, you snuck out to move your mom _and_ faked her death to protect her even though you knew that you were gonna get hurt for disappearing like that. That took a lot of guts, you must know that by now.”

 

I nodded shakily, fighting the tears threatening to shed. “I do _now_. Matt said as much himself.”

 

Lucy’s face brightened. “See? That man is as smart as he is gorgeous...”

 

“And kissable.” I muttered as I took a sip of my wine. 

 

Lucy continued, “Just like my Foggy- _time the fuck out!_ ” 

 

My eyes widened at the sudden outburst. “What?”

 

“You kissed Matt?!” She asked excitedly. 

 

“Oh, yeah, I did.” I replied with a timid smile, my cheeks flushing into a rosy pink. 

 

Lucy could barely contain her composure, her hands were flailing and her body jumping from excitement. She shot up off the couch and rushed to the fridge, returning with the container of cupcakes before going back to the fridge to grab two more bottles of wine. She gingerly sat back on the couch, her legs folded like a kid eager for story time. 

 

“Okay, I’m ready! Tell me everything.” She begged with glee. 

 

Exasperated, I shook my head and replied. “Luce, there isn’t that much to tell. It wasn’t hot and heavy, it was sweet and tender during a vulnerable moment.” 

 

“You say there isn’t much to tell, but I don’t care. Tell me about it anyway!” Lucy exclaimed impatiently. “Finish your first bottle and we can share all the dirty fantasies about our guys.” Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively as she nudged my open bottle towards me. 

 

“Luce!” I laughed out. “I don’t really talk about this kind of stuff.”

 

“Oh you will,” Lucy stated. “Now sip sip.”

 

_30 minutes, one and a half bottles of wine later…._

 

“Matt’s so fuckin beautiful, it’s unfair!” I cried out dramatically, fully feeling the effects of the sweet wine. Lucy giggling like a drunk hyena as I continued. “Like, he’s so sweet and precious with that smile made of sunshine, but he’s also sexy as fuck with that body- oh God, that body! I’ve bumped into him like a billion times, he even caught me in his arms once, and sweet baby Jesus that man is pure muscle! I wanna play with it like a jungle gym. Like every time I look at him...I feel it in my bones,” My eyes welled up with drunk tears, “I _know_ his dick is big, I _know_ it! _I know it’s big!_ Oh God, my heart hurts!” 

 

I was full on sobbing as I bit into my fifth or tenth cupcake. 

 

Lucy was no better off than I was. She was on the brink of tears as she hugged me sympathetically. “My poor, sweet, thirsty flower child needs to get Murdocked so bad.”

 

“I really do!” I replied as I wiped my tears. “I’ve never had an orgasm and I really really wanna know what one feels like before I die of old age or something.”

 

“You _what?!_ ” Lucy exclaimed with and inhuman sounding gasp of breath. “How have you _never_ had an orgasm?!”

 

I rolled my eyes and took a huge gulp of wine. “I was a virgin when I met Paul. He insisted we wait until after the wedding to make it more ‘special’. And the whole time during our honeymoon, it was uncomfortable and kinda hurt like hell, but he was a little gentle with me.” My mood began to dampen as I went on, “When he showed his true colors, he stopped being gentle. He took what he wanted and I just laid there and let him. It was better if I didn’t fight.”

 

I took another gulp of wine as Lucy processed everything. “Could he be any more of an asshole?!” She yelled in disgust. “If he has to be so controlling that he doesn’t care whether or not you cum, then he’s probably shit in bed anyway.” 

 

I nodded in agreement, “That actually makes so much sense. He’s…..” I hesitated for a second. 

 

**_Come on, girl. Say what you want about him. He’s not here to stop you._ **

 

I stood up on the couch, holding my bottle up high and proudly cried out, “Paul Burney is a fuckin asshole! I hate him with every inch of my body, and I deserve a better man that will give me all the love and orgasms I want!”

 

“Fuckin A, babydoll!” Lucy cheered as she clumsily stood up on the couch alongside me, holding her own bottle up high as she pledged, “Love and orgasms for us! A lifetime of STDs and...um...unlubed anal for Paul!”

 

I laughed so hard, I couldn’t control the sudden spray of wine from my mouth. I collapsed onto the couch, struggling to breathe through my drunken laughter. 

 

“What the fuck?” I managed to ask. 

 

Lucy hopped off the couch to sit back down. “It’ll be my birthday present to you.”

 

“My birthday isn’t until October.” I replied. 

 

Lucy’s eyes widened in excitement. “Ooh only two months away then! What day? I wanna start planning now.”

 

I snorted in amusement as I replied. “The 31st. “

 

Lucy looked almost ready to have a heart attack. “NO WAY!!! Your birthday is on Halloween?!” She waved her hands ecstatically. “Halloween is my Christmas! And you get to have it for your birthday! That’s so cool!! It must’ve been so fun celebrating it.”

 

My smile dimmed. “It was when I was with my mom. When I got married, I didn’t get to celebrate either holiday anymore. Paul doesn’t like celebrating holidays, especially Halloween. He finds them childish.” 

 

I looked down at my feet in shame, hating myself for letting him control me for so long. Lucy’s smile dropped; her face turned red, either from anger or the wine, or possibly both. She shook her head in disgust, relaxing her face back into a smile. 

 

“Well he’s not here, and this is a new start for you, right?” I nodded for her to continue. “So it’s decided. I’m throwing you the spookiest, most epic Halloween birthday party ever! Costumes, Halloween themed birthday cake, booze, candy, the works! What do you say, birthday ghoul?”

 

Lucy wasn’t prepared for me to pounce onto her into an attack hug, she let out a yelp as the impact caused us to fall off the couch and onto the floor. She giggled hysterically as I peppered her face with drunken kisses. 

 

“I take that as a yes?” She asked with excitement. 

 

“Can we make jack-o-lanterns?” I asked, my eyes widened with childlike glee. 

 

“Are you kidding? That’s gonna be the first thing we do, of course we can make them!” Lucy replied happily. “We’ll have a day at the pumpkin patch, ooh and I’m sure there’s a corn maze out there too. This is gonna be so much fun!” She clapped with excitement. 

 

I was too drunk to keep any ounce of composure, l squealed and kicked my feet in the air like I just didn’t care. Then a thought occurred to me. 

 

“Do you think Matt and Foggy would wanna join us? Would they even be into that sort of thing?” I asked, starting to feel a smidge of doubt. 

 

Lucy gave my hair a gentle tug. “If they’re as into _us_ as I’m pretty positive they are, then they’ll totally wanna join in. You can find out when you see Matt tomorrow.” She replied with a wink. “Besides, you pretty much have to be a soulless asshole to not wanna celebrate Halloween- let alone someone’s _birthday_!”

 

“Well, that explains Paul.”

 

Lucy scoffed. “Fuck that dumpster fire of a human being with something hard and sandpapery.”

 

I let out a snort of laughter, “Oh Luce, you have such a way with words.”

 

Lucy grinned with pride. “It’s a talent. However speaking of assholes…” 

 

I caught her finger before it had the chance to poke at my bruised cheek. 

 

“Who’s the asshole that hurt your cheek? What the Hell happened? Tell me everything!”

 

My clouded brain didn’t understand what she was talking about, until a certain sexy vigilante in black pajamas flashed through my mind. 

 

“Oh my god, I totally forgot about that!” I exclaimed. “I had a crazy night last night.” 

 

“Well don’t leave me in suspense, Woman! What happened???” Lucy asked impatiently. 

 

I sat up before I started my tale of the night before. “So, I didn’t go home after seeing you. I needed to go somewhere to breathe. And while I was out, I made some new friends. Like this nurse who I ended up spilling my guts to about my situation, and she gave me a checkup. Her name’s Claire, very cool chick, she gets a free treat from the bakery, I can’t wait for you to meet her. Oh and I met this super cool group of musicians and jammed with them at Guitar Center, they’re my own band of gypsies, you’ll love them!” **_Focus, girl._ ** “Anywho, I was walking home and it was dark. Then this dirty creepy guy dragged me down an alley. My dumb ass thought it was Paul, but nope, I was just being mugged. I tried to get away, but he threw me against the wall, which caused this,” I gestured to the bruised scrape in my cheek. “He started groping me and wanted to do _other_ stuff to me,” I shivered at the memory. “But then, out of nowhere, this guy shows up, throws the mugger off me, and beats the mad shit out of him!”

 

“No way!” Lucy exclaimed as she sat up facing me. “Who was it?! Ooh was it one of the Avengers?”

 

I shrugged, “I don’t think so. Do any of the Avengers dress in head to toe black and fight like some kind of sexy acrobatic ninja?” 

 

Lucy let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh my god, you lucky bitch! You got rescued by Daredevil!”

 

“Who?” I asked, not familiar with the name. 

 

“Oh that’s right, you haven’t lived here long enough to be familiar with him. He’s our local vigilante, also known as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He’s been around for about a year now, I think, trying to clean the streets of criminals and scumbags with some epic ass kicking from what I’ve heard. And you got rescued by him!” Lucy finished excitedly. 

 

I sat there in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that not only did someone care enough to save my life, but that it was by an apparently famous crime fighter. 

 

“What happened after that?” Lucy asked. “Did he talk to you? Or did he disappear mysteriously into the night?” She finished with a dramatic whisper. 

 

I blushed as I remembered how close and intimate my moment with the masked man felt. 

 

“He spoke to me…” I trailed off. 

 

“And????” Lucy asked impatiently. 

 

She wasn’t going to let it go until I told her, so I let out a sigh and continued. “He asked me if I was okay. He got really close to me, he touched my cheek…” I felt my heart race remembering his touch. “It felt so _intimate._ Like he really genuinely cared about me. Like he wanted to hold me, you know?” Lucy dreamily nodded as I continued. “He told me to go home and be safe. I thanked him, and then he was gone.”

 

Lucy sighed. “That sounds so romantic. Having your own superhero to keep you safe. What a dream!”

 

I couldn’t help but agree. “He certainly got my heart racing, that’s for sure.”

 

“I heard he has a killer body under those black pajamas.” Lucy pointed out. “How did it look? And most importantly, did you check out his ass?” She asked, causing me to almost choke on my wine. 

 

“Oh my god, Luce, warn a girl next time!” She simply shrugged. “And seriously? I was in _danger._ I saw him beat up that creep who wanted to hurt me!”

 

Lucy’s excitement deflated , “You’re right, I’m sorry-”

 

“ _Of course_ I checked out his ass!” I cut her off. “I’m not stupid! If my life was about to end, I needed _something_ good to look at.”

 

Lucy let out an excited giggle. “And how was it?”

 

“Round and juicy, like a perfect peach. If I were to rate it, I’d give it two palms up.” I replied, holding my hands palm side up with a grabbing motion; causing Lucy and I to burst into hysterical laughter. 

 

“You’ll have to get a good grip on that peach the next time you see him.” Lucy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. 

 

I snorted, “Groping a vigilante? Oh yeah, I see that working out well. He’ll probably have _me_ arrested!”

 

Lucy shrugged, “You know a couple hot lawyers that’ll defend you.”

 

Matt. 

 

The thought of him instantly sobered me up. 

 

“Fuck, how could I have forgotten about Matt? I shouldn’t be thinking these things about some masked stranger! What’s wrong with me?” I asked, frustrated with myself. 

 

Lucy seemed unfazed by my thoughts. “Don’t worry about that. He won’t mind.”

 

“What makes you say that?” I looked at her in slight confusion. 

 

Lucy’s eyes widened as she took a huge gulp of wine. She hesitated for a second before replying. “Maybe...he’s into kinky shit and would be open to a sexy three way. Then you really _would_ be the luckiest bitch in the world!”

 

I just barely swallowed my wine before cracking up. “I don’t think Matt and I are at that stage of our relationship to talk about that kind of stuff yet. We haven’t even really talked about what we _are_ yet. And besides, I doubt he’s into threesomes and stuff like that anyway.”

 

 **_Don’t act like the thought didn’t cross your mind._ **I shrugged at my thoughts. 

 

“Hey, don’t rule it out,” Lucy insisted. “Just because he’s blind and catholic, doesn’t mean he’s not kinky as hell. In fact, he’s probably _very_ adventurous indeed.” She finished with a wink. 

 

I rolled my eyes and replied, “I’ll keep that in mind, you weirdo.”

 

“Dancing!” Lucy exclaimed out of nowhere, immediately changing the subject. “We have to have dancing at your party! Ooh the Time Warp is a must, remind me that we seriously need to go out for a Rocky Horror night, by the way. Ooh we can do the rockabilly stroll! That’ll be a fun and easy dance to do.”

 

“What’s the rockabilly stroll?” I asked once Luce stopped to take a breath. 

 

She immediately jumped up and ran for her bag. She pulled out a portable speaker and her phone. A moment later, rockabilly music filled the air. Lucy grabbed my hands, yanking me to my feet. 

 

[“You’re gonna learn today.”](https://youtu.be/6cvAn8YhPiI) She declared before my new dance lessons began. 

 

The rest of the night was spent dancing, eating, drinking, and leaving all my troubles behind. 

* * *

_Next Morning_

I woke up the next morning expecting a killer hangover despite Lucy making me take some aspirin and orange juice before passing out, but no such hangover occurred. I wanted to go back to sleep, sure, but thankfully there was no splitting headache from all that wine. 

 

The smell of coffee brewing prevented me from falling back asleep. I slowly started to rise up from the scattered pillows and tangled blanket on the...floor?

 

I guess we were too tired or too hammered to make it to the bed. 

 

“Rise and shine, Ginger!” Lucy called out from the kitchen. 

 

I forced myself up and clumsily stumbled towards the kitchen. Lucy stood at the counter wide awake and perked full of energy. 

 

“How are you so full of energy?” I groggily asked her. 

 

“High metabolism and an iron liver. I get that from my mama.” Lucy replied with a cheeky grin. “How do you take your coffee, my sleepy ginger snap?”

 

“Sweeter than Matt’s smile.” I replied dreamily, still half asleep. 

 

“What was that?” Lucy replied with a chuckle. 

 

“More cream and sugar than coffee.” I clarified, blushing at the realization of what I said. 

 

Lucy complied, handing me my fresh cup. “One sweet ass coffee for one thirsty ass lady.”

 

“Thanks, darling.” I replied, drinking the coffee. “So what time are we opening the bakery today?”

 

“Well I think we can get away with opening up shop a little later today. The boss is pretty lenient.” She winked. “So we can take our time getting more awake and ready for the day.”

 

“Sounds like a great plan.” I readily agreed. “I love my boss.”

 

“Love ya too, doll.” Lucy replied with a wink. “But first thing’s first.” She made her way to the fridge. “You’re gonna brush your teeth, get dressed, and take some goodies over to the handsome Mr. Murdock.”

 

“You don’t mind if I leave you behind for a few minutes?” I asked, not wanting to be rude to my friend. 

 

Lucy put that worry to rest. “Don’t worry about me. I might take advantage of your shower if you don’t mind?”

 

“Knock yourself out. I’m just gonna freshen up real quick.” I replied as I raced to my room to change and brush my teeth as well as my birds nest-looking hair. 

 

I was ready in no time; I rushed over to the kitchen where Lucy had just finished putting together a container full of pastries for me to take. 

 

Lucy looked at me knowingly. “Wow, _someone_ is eager to get Murdocked.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, you perv.” I replied innocently as I reached for the container. “Thanks for putting this together, Luce. I think I’ll bring him some coffee too. I think he’ll appreciate that.”

 

“Aww that’s so sweet!” Lucy gushed. She grabbed her overnight bag and pulled out a small stack of to-go coffee cups and lids. “Here, take one of these. Last thing we need is a coffee accident.”

 

“Thanks, Mary Poppins. You seem to carry _everything_!” I exclaimed. 

 

Lucy scoffed. “Sweetie, Mary Poppins has nothing on me. Now go get your Murdock fix!” She started nudging me out the door. “I want details!” She finished with a slam of the door. 

 

I shook my head with a giggle as I walked over next door. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as I raised my hand to knock on Matt’s door. 

 

The door opened after the first knock, revealing Matt, who was looking absolutely sinful in a black suit and tie. His beautiful eyes were already covered by those familiar red sunglasses. 

 

“Morning, Matt!” I greeted cheerfully, feeling more awake in his presence. 

 

“Good morning to you too, Iris.” He replied, flashing that gorgeous smile I love so much. “You sound better today.”

 

“I _feel_ better today.” I replied, the memory of our kiss causing me to blush. 

 

Matt opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in? I have to leave soon, but I can _definitely_ spare a few minutes for you.” He finished with a wink, causing my organs to bounce. 

 

I cleared my throat before I could get lost in my dirty thoughts. 

 

“Why thank you, don’t mind if I do.” I replied with a slight curtsy before entering the apartment. Matt smirked as if he could _see_ my gesture. 

 

“How are you?” He asked as he closed the door, moving towards me. “I know yesterday had taken a lot out of you. Are you okay?”

 

He lifted his hand to my shoulder, giving me instant warmth at his thoughtfulness. 

 

“I am.” I replied with a smile. “For the first time in a long time, I really am.” I leaned up to kiss those sweet lips of his, which he eagerly and gently gave back in kind. “Thank you for listening. And for accepting me and the truth.”

 

Matt smiled as he caressed my cheek. “Anytime. Thank you for trusting me. I know it wasn’t easy.”

 

“It wasn’t.” I agreed. “But it feels better to not have to keep this to myself anymore.  I even called Lucy over to tell her.” 

 

I looked down at the goodies in my hands and remembered the initial reason I was there. 

 

“And speaking of which, she brought over practically half the treats from the bakery, and I thought you might like some for breakfast. You can maybe share some with Foggy if you want.” I gently nudged the container into his hands. 

 

Matt’s smile was priceless. “Thank you so much, Iris. That’s so thoughtful of you. Foggy will appreciate this for sure.” He then sniffed the air. “Is that coffee I smell?”

 

“Yup!” I replied, carefully placing the hot cup in his hands. “I thought you could use a pick me up.”

 

“Wow, thank you! You’re a goddess.” He sighed appreciatively as he smelled the coffee. 

 

I blushed at the comment, “It’s no problem. I don’t remember how you take your coffee, so I left it black.”

 

“I actually _do_ take it black, so you did perfectly.” He praised. He took a sip, letting out a soft moan, giving me goosebumps. “Thank you so much, you saved me from having to make some myself.”

 

“Anytime.” I replied. “I’m happy to help.”

 

Matt smiled back; he was about to speak, but he was cut off by a robotic voice calling out “ _Foggy. Foggy. Foggy.”_

 

Letting out a huff he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m sorry, Iris, can you give me just a second?” 

 

“Of course, go ahead.” I assured him as he answered the phone. 

 

“Hey, Foggy.” Matt greeted. 

 

I couldn’t hear what Foggy was saying, but from Matt’s expression, I would guess Foggy was getting impatient. 

 

“I know, I’m sorry I’m running late. I overslept.” He explained. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He tightened his grip on the container of pastries in his hand. He continued with a smirk, “And I’m even bringing breakfast. Courtesy of our favorite ladies.”

 

I felt my face flush even redder at the comment. Matt _had_ to have known how he was affecting me, his smirk grew with a chuckle. Either at me or at what Foggy was saying, I have no idea. 

 

“Okay. I’ll be there soon.” He finished before hanging up. 

 

“I take it this is your cue to go?” I asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

Matt nodded apologetically. “Yeah.  I’d rather stay, to be honest, but we’re meeting a client today, and we have to prepare for that.”

 

I immediately felt guilty. “Oh god, Matt, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you late.”

 

Matt tilted my chin up to look at him. “Hey, don’t ever apologize for coming by. You’re a _very_ welcome distraction.” 

 

Our noses touched oh so softly, only a breath between our lips. My heart pounded in my ears, I think even Matt could hear it. 

 

**_This man will be the death of me. But what a way to go._ **

 

The logical part of me should back away before we get carried away. But the aroused part of me wanted to keep going. 

 

I gave in and eagerly pressed my lips against his, feeling lighter than air. I could feel Matt’s hand lightly grasp the back of my neck, his fingers combed through my hair as he held me closer to him. My hands clawed at his back, trying to get him even closer. 

 

I felt the tip of Matt’s tongue at the seam of my lips, begging for entry. I let out an eager gasp in response, I softly began to greet his tongue with mine….

 

“ _Foggy. Foggy. Foggy. Fog-”_

 

Letting out a groan of frustration, Matt broke apart from our kiss and answered the phone while still holding me close to him. 

 

“ _What,_ Foggy?” Matt asked through clenched teeth. 

 

The deep growl sent thrilling chills up my spine. **_Why does it sound so familiar?_ **

 

“ _I knew it!”_ Foggy yelled on the other end, which I could hear loud and clear this time. “ _Get your tongue out of Iris’s throat, and get your ass over here!”_

 

Foggy hung up before Matt could even respond. 

 

We both let out a sigh of disappointment, Matt leaning his forehead against mine. 

 

“I guess you _really_ have to go this time, huh?” I asked dejectedly. 

 

“I don’t want to, but he’ll hunt me down if I don’t.” He replied with a half hearted chuckle. “May I walk you back to your door?”

 

I giggled back, “Of course. Don’t forget the container. You’re gonna need those pastries to calm him down.”

 

Matt chuckled again, “You might be right about that. Though I think we’ll have to stop by the bakery so he can see Lucy in order for him to forgive me.” 

 

“That can be arranged.” I replied as we made our way out the door. 

 

He locked the door just as I noticed something was missing. “Oh Matt, you forgot your coffee.”

 

He turned to me with a smirk. “It’s okay. I already had my pick-me-up.”

 

**_Damn he’s smooth._ **

 

“You’re incorrigible.” I responded, flushing as red as a tomato. 

 

“And _you’re_ irresistible.” Matt replied with a wink as he held my hand. 

 

“And _you’re_ running late.” I replied back, trying to control my racing heart. 

 

Our short walk ended as we stopped in front of my door, our hands still clasped together. 

 

“You’re right,” He said, sounding disappointed once again about leaving. “Thank you for stopping by. It really made my morning.”

 

I grinned. “Anytime.” Then I decided to continue my bold streak. “In fact, would you like to come over for dinner tonight? We could whip something up in the kitchen together, it’ll be fun.”

 

I felt unreasonably nervous waiting for his answer. 

 

**_You just soft core made out with the man in his apartment. I don’t think he’s gonna say “no”._ **

 

Matt smiled sweetly and replied, “I’d love to. What time should I come over?”

 

“How about 6:00?” I asked. Lucy won’t mind letting me off before then. 

 

“Perfect.” He replied. “Want me to bring anything?”

 

“Just yourself.” I said, not wanting to let go of his hand. “Are you craving for anything in particular?”

 

 **_I know what_ ** **I’m** **_craving for._ **

 

Matt smirked as if he heard my thoughts and replied, “How about we bake some dessert for dinner?” His calloused fingers lightly caressed my hand. “I’m suddenly craving for something sweet.”

 

I suddenly felt hot enough to break a sweat, and my rapidly beating heart certainly didn’t help.  **_Keep it together._ **

 

“Okay,” Why did I sound so breathless? I cleared my throat before continuing. “I’ll think of something for us to make. I’ll see you tonight?”

 

“Looking forward to it.” He said as he leaned down to leave a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. “See you tonight.”

 

“Bye.” I whispered, biting my lip to try to hold back my bashful grin. 

 

I could faintly hear Lucy’s footsteps shuffling quickly away from the other side of the door. Matt had an amused grin on his face as he turned away and walked towards the elevator. 

 

I drifted through the doorway of my apartment like I was floating on a cloud. Even Lucy’s knowing smirk couldn’t distract me from the excitement tonight will surely bring. 

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* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that was chapter 9!!! I hope it was worth the wait and that you loved the bonding between Iris and Lucy. I love them so much! And Matt…*sigh* he makes my heart sing! I hope y’all liked it, please be sure to subscribe and leave a comment. I love reading your thoughts on this story, it truly makes my day! Well that's all for now, and I'll do my best not to take forever on the next chapter. Until next time...*kiss noise*


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